Prolonged methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction in dogs.

We studied the effect of prolonged airways obstruction induced by extended cholinergic stimulation in five anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs. A continuous intravenous metacholine infusion was utilized to maintain pulmonary resistance (RL) at 200--1500% preinfusion levels for 13--23 h. At maximum RL (18.86 +/- 7.74 vs. 2.09 +/- 0.18 (mean +/- SD) cmH2O/ (L/S) PREINfusion; P less than 0.01), dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) fell from 67.5 +/- 14.6 to 32.7 +/- 11.6 ml/cmH2O (P less than 0.005) and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) fell modestly from 95.8 +/- 6.1 Torr preinfusion to 83.2 +/- 12.7 Torr (P less than 0.05). Tachyphylaxis to methacholine developed, requiring increases in infusion rates to maintain elevated RL. Abnormalities in lung function resolved promptly upon termination of the infusion. Two similarly instrumented control animals ventilated for 19 and 25 h without metacholine infusion had no change in RL, Cdyn, or PaO2. Histological examination of the lungs revealed no differences between infused and control animals. In spite of marked increases in RL, prolonged cholinergic stimulation produced only mild changes in gas exchange and no sustained changes in lung function or structure.