THE EFFECT OF CHANGES IN HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION ON THE PULMONARY CIRCULATION*

Abstract

Although acidosis has long been known to cause vasodilation in certain systemic vascular beds (1- 3), its effect on the pulmonary vessels remains unsettled. This uncertainty stems from the in- consistent effects of an acute change in blood pH on the pulmonary circulation of the isolated lung (4-8) and of the lung perfused in situ (9), and the lack of observations on intact animals and man.