Hemodynamic effects of experimental acute right ventricular overload

Background: Acute right ventricular overload is associated with high morbidity and mortality clinical situations such as: extensive lung resection, pulmonary thromboembolism, lung transplantation and high altitude pulmonary edema. Some points of its pathophysiology remain unclear. Objective: To assess the hemodynamic effects of experimental acute right ventricular overload in pigs. Methods: Right ventricular overload was induced through the occlusion of the pulmonary arteries using ligationss. Twenty pigs were used in the study, divided into 04 groups: one control group not subject to pulmonary vascular occlusion, and three right ventricular overload groups subject to occlusion of the following pulmonary arteries: SVD1 (left pulmonary artery); SVD2 (left pulmonary artery and right lower lobe) and SVD3 (left pulmonary artery, right lower lobe and mediastinal lobe), obstructing the pulmonary vasculature in 42, 76 and 82.0% respectively. Hemodynamic variables were measured every 15 minutes during one hour of study. The statistical analysis employed mixed linear models with variance and covariance structures. Results: Group comparisons revealed significant increases in heart rate (p = 0.004), mean pulmonary artery pressure (p = 0.001) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in cardiac index (p = 0.94). Conclusion: Despite the severe right ventricular overload promoted by 82.0% obstruction of the pulmonary vasculature and the significant increase in pulmonary arterial pressure, there was no severe cardiovascular dysfunction and/or circulatory shock during the study period.