Abstract
It was shown by Coca 1 that the dominant physological reaction in acute anapylaxis in rabbits is an occlusion of the pulmonary blood vessels with red blood corpuscle masses. Coca has evidence that this conclusion is not due to thrombosis or hemagglutination (embolism). He therefore concludes that it is due to an acute pulmonary vasoconstriction, comparable with the acute bronchoconstriction in anaphylactic guinea pigs. We have endeavored to test this conclusion by our routine perfusion technique.
On perfusing the isolated lungs of horse serum sensitized guinea-pigs with 2 per cent horse serum in Locke's solution, a distinct bronchoconstriction is demonstrable within thirty seconds, increasing to a complete bronchial stenosis by the end of two minutes. 2 At this stage of the reaction, the lungs can neither be expanded nor collapsed by changes in air pressure in the tracheal canula.
If the isolated lungs of rabbits sensitized to horse serum by Auer's method are similarly perfused, no bronchoconstriction is demonstrable. A slight increase in perfusion resistance takes place, the rate of perfusion flow being reduced about 8 per cent. This increase, however, is so slight that it cannot be assumed to play a clinically recognizable rôle.
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