How do increased pulmonary blood flow, elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, and high pulmonary capillary pressure affect pulmonary arteriolar resistance and pressure gradients in humans at rest?
This foundational physiological study demonstrates that pulmonary arteriolar resistance increases significantly when pulmonary capillary pressure exceeds 20-25 mm Hg, acting as a protective mechanism against pulmonary edema.
While many studies have been carried out on the dynamics of the pulmonary circulation in ex- perimental animals, few studies of this subject have been made in man until recently. With the advent of the cardiac catheter (
Dexter et al. (1950) studied this question.