Broiler pulmonary hypertension syndrome. II. The direct measurement of right ventricular and pulmonary artery pressures in the closed chest domestic fowl.

A technique for the catheterisation of the right ventricle and pulmonary artery of the domestic fowl is described. Mean peak systolic, minimum diastolic and mean pressures measured in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery of a group of clinically normal broilers housed at a medium altitude of 1,300 m were 24.3; 8.1; 17.8; 25.0; 22.1 and 22.3 mm Hg respectively. The pulmonary artery pressures are different from those reported elsewhere using the open chest technique. These differences are possibly due to both the effect of opening the thoracic cavity and the hypoxic pressor effect at this altitude.