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Review
. 2018 Jun;8(3):208-213.
doi: 10.21037/cdt.2018.01.08.

Pulmonary vascular pathophysiology

Murthy R Chamarthy  1 , Asha Kandathil  1 , Sanjeeva P Kalva  1
Affiliations
Review

Pulmonary vascular pathophysiology

Murthy R Chamarthy et al. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Knowledge of pulmonary vascular pathophysiology is crucial to understand the various disease processes and their medical management. Pulmonary vascular system constitutes the right sided circulation which is distinct from the left side circulation and facilitates unique hemodynamic properties to adapt to a multitude of external demands and circumstances. With growing prevalence and increasing ability to diagnose and treat pulmonary diseases, this review becomes more relevant.

Keywords: Blood flow; Schwan-Ganz; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); hypoxia; left atrial pressure; pulmonary arterial pressure; pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR); resistance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Systemic and pulmonary pressures. Pressure measurements at various levels with the systemic and pulmonary circulation are numbered in this illustration. The pressure difference is responsible for the flow of the blood and also results in the generating capillary hydrostatic pressure affecting the net movement of fluid. Sharp contrast is noted in the pulmonary circulation with low pressures compared to the higher pressures seen within the systemic circulation. Low pressure and low resistance characteristics of the pulmonary circulation facilitate unique hemodynamic properties to adapt to a multitude of external demands and circumstances. SVC, superior vena cava; PA, pulmonary artery; RA, right atrium; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; IVC, inferior vena cava.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Technique for measurement of left atrial pressure. Left atrial pressure measurement is obtained indirectly by wedging an inflated Swan-Ganz balloon catheter within the distal pulmonary artery. Balloon inflation eliminates the contribution of pulmonary artery pressure and only reflects the left atrial pressure. Pulmonary arterial pressure can be obtained by deflating the balloon and pulling the Swan-Ganz catheter to the pulmonary artery. Alternatively, a transducer connected to the working catheter can be used for pulmonary arterial pressure measurement. SVC, superior vena cava; PA, pulmonary artery; RA, right atrium; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; IVC, inferior vena cava.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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