Effect of mechanical ventilation on lung water volume in dogs

: The effect of mechanical ventilation on lung water volume was studied in open-chest mongrel dogs with pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema was induced by oleic acid infusion in 1 group and by elevating left atrial pressure in the other group. In both groups, 1 lung was ventilated mechanically, while the other lung was kept at a constant volume and not ventilated. In all dogs, the wet/dry ratio of the ventilated lung was significantly greater than that of the unventilated lung. This suggests that the difference in lung water volume between the ventilated lung and the nonventilated lung is due to lung volume.