Effects of severe reduction in maternal placental blood flow on blood flow distribution in the sheep fetus.

To test the hypothesis that fetal lambs are able to maintain oxygen delivery to myocardial, brain and adrenal tissues during reduction in uterine blood flow to 25% of control, we performed experiments on five ewes and their fetuses. A snare occluder was placed around the maternal common hypogastric artery and catheters were placed for measurement of blood pressures, flows, blood gas tensions, pH and oxygen content. After a five day recovery period, control measurements were made. The snare occluder was then closed until the artery was fully occluded. The arterial occlusion caused uteroplacental blood flow to fall to 32 +/- 4% and maternal placental blood flow to fall to 25 +/- 3% of control values. This level of asphyxia was maintained for 19 +/- 3 minutes, when maternal and fetal blood flows were measured again. In response to occlusion, fetal ascending aortic PO2 fell from 21 +/- 2 (SEM) to 13 +/- 2 mmHg (P less than or equal to 0.01), oxygen content from 4.3 +/- 0.3 to 1.4 +/- 0.2 mM (P less than or equal to 0.01) and pH from 7.37 +/- 0.01 to 7.21 +/- 0.05 (P less than or equal to 0.01). PCO2 rose from 48 +/- 1 to 62 +/- 3 mmHg (P less than or equal to 0.01). Fetal arterial blood pressure increased from 51 +/- 3 to 61 +/- 3 mmHg (P less than or equal to 0.001) and heart rate decreased from 172 +/- 10 to 104 +/- 4 beats.min-1 (P less than or equal to 0.01). The heart, brain and adrenals showed vasodilation in response to the asphyxic stimulus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)