Abstract
Summary
The effects of indomethacin on the pulmonary circulation and the response of the circulation to hypoxia were investigated in premature and mature newborns using an isolated perfusion technique on otherwise intact left lungs in situ. There was an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and augmentation of the increase in pulmonary vascular resistance during hypoxia following indomethacin. These effects were greater in the premature than in the mature newborn. Indomethacin effectively removes a dilator influence on the pulmonary circulation. The results are consistent with the concept that prostaglandins are important in regulating pulmonary vascular resistance.
The authors wish to thank N. L. Murtha, L. Tumarkin, M. Fradenburg, and T. Bendit for their technical assistance. This research was conducted under the guiding principles in the care and use of animals approved by the Council of the American Physiological Society and the National Institute of Health.
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