F or decades the pulmonary circulation was not considered as important as the systemic (“greater”) circulation. However, pulmonary hypertension can arise because of many diseases of the heart and lung. Therefore, increasing efforts in research have been undertaken leading to a profound increase in understanding pulmonary vascular physiology and pathophysiology. This review discusses basic physi...

the main goal of this report was to share with clinicians an atypical presentation of pulmonary thromboembolism (pte) in a young male`s post-appendectomy, whom he had no significant predisposing factors for such disease. the case also introduced for re-examining the challenges of pte clinical manifestations which may mimic other differential diagnosis. pte is an abrupt blockage of the pulmonary...

pulmonary circulation in the newborn with pulmonary atresia. Thorax 32: 129, 1977 40. Haworth SG, Sauer U, Buhlmeyer C, Reid L: Development of the pulmonary circulation in ventricular septal defect: a quantitative structural study. Am J Cardiol 40: 781, 1977 41. Davis GD, Fulton RE, Ritter DG, Mair DD, McGoon DC: Congenital pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect: angiographic and surg...

The pulmonary circulation is a high-flow/low-pressure system, coupled with a flow generator chamber-the right ventricle-, which is relatively unable to tolerate increases in afterload. A right heart catheterization, using a fluid-filled, balloon-tipped Swan-Ganz catheter allows the measurement of all hemodynamic parameters characterizing the pulmonary circulation: the inflow pressure, an accept...

Dr. Reeves and his colleagues, Drs. Wiltz Wagner, Norbert Voelkel, Ivan McMurtry and Ken Weir (Fig. 3), recognized the need for an ongoing international, scientific conference devoted to the pulmonary circulation. The meeting in 2011 was the 15th in the series. Those who study the pulmonary circulation do not need to be reminded of its unique characteristics. However, the great majority of the ...

There is increasing evidence that TGF-beta family member cytokine bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4 plays different pathophysiological roles in the pulmonary and systemic circulation. Upregulation of BMP-4 has been linked to atherosclerosis and hypertension in the systemic circulation, whereas disruption of BMP-4 signaling is associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension. To test t...

Input impedance of the pulmonary arterial system was determined in 10 subjects undergoing elective cardiac catheterization. No cardiovascular or pulmonary disease was found in these patients. In five of the subjects, systemic arterial impedance was also obtained, so that both systems could be compared. Pulmonary and systemic peripheral resistances were 79 +/- 9 dynes sec/cm5 (mean +/- SEM) and ...

Oddly, Carl Wiggers (1883-1962), who is remembered for his work on the systemic circulation, may be considered the "American father of the pulmonary circulation." In nearly 20 papers published in the American Journal of Physiology between 1909 and 1925, he reported the first reliable pressure contours in the pulmonary artery, inquired into the relationship between respiration and pulmonary arte...

We assessed the roles of the pulmonary and bronchial circulations as potential heat sources to the pulmonary airways during respiratory heat loss, by observing the changes in airstream temperature that accompanied temporary occlusion of the pulmonary or bronchial circulations. Baseline end-expiratory and end-inspiratory airstream temperatures were 35.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C (SEM) and 30.9 +/- 0.3 d...