Validation of Double Vascular Occlusion Method for Pc,i in Lung and Skeletal Muscle

Capillary pressures in isogravimetric lung and skeletal muscle measured with the double vascular occlusion technique (Pdo) were compared to those measured using the traditional gravimetric technique (Pc,i). Pressures were measured using both techniques in isolated blood-perfused canine lungs (n = 18), blood-perfused rat hindquarters before (n = 8) and after (n = 6) maximal dilatation with papaverine and in rat hindquarters perfused with an artificial plasma (n = 6). In both organs, regardless of vascular tone, the double vascular occlusion isogravimetric pressure was the same as the gravimetric Pc,i, and the two measurements were highly correlated. Lung: Pdo = -0.22 + 1.06 Pc,i (r = 0.85, P less than 0.01); hindquarter: Pdo = -1.03 + 0.99 Pc,i (r = 0.91, P less than 0.01). In addition, Pdo was the same at every combination of isogravimetric arterial and venous pressures tested. The results indicate that the more rapidly applied double vascular occlusion pressure yields an accurate measure of isogravimetric capillary pressure in isolated organs over a wide range of isogravimetric pressures.