Optical measurement of isolated canine lung filtration coefficients at normal hematocrits

In this study, lung filtration coefficient (K-fc) values were measured in eight isolated canine lung preparations at normal hematocrit values using three methods: gravimetric, blood-corrected gravimetric, and optical. The lungs were kept in zone 3 conditions and subjected to an average venous pressure increase of 10.24 +/- 0.27 (SE) cmH(2)O. The resulting K-fc (ml.min(-1).cmH(2)O(-1).100 g dry lung wt(-1)) measured with the gravimetric technique was 0.420 +/- 0.017, which was statistically different from the K-fc measured by the blood-corrected gravimetric method (0.273 +/- 0.018) or the product of the reflection coefficient (sigma(f)) and K-fc measured optically (0.272 +/- 0.018). The optical method involved the use of a Cellco filter cartridge to separate red blood cells from plasma, which allowed measurement of the concentration of the tracer in plasma at normal hematocrits (34 +/- 1.5). The permeability-surface area product was measured using radioactive multiple indicator-dilution methods before, during, and after venous pressure elevations. Results showed that the surface area of the lung did not change significantly during the measurement of K-fc. These studies suggest that sigma(f)K(fc) can be measured optically at normal hematocrits, that this measurement is not influenced by blood volume changes that occur during the measurement, and that the optical sigma(f)K(fc) agrees with the K-fc obtained via the blood-corrected gravimetric method.