Pulmonary mechanics and surfactant measurement in canine lungs following reimplantation.

The left lung was reimplanted in 18 dogs. Failure of the venous anastomosis was the chief technical complication. Thirteen dogs survived until killed from eight days to 15 weeks after the operation. There was an immediate fall in total pulmonary compliance following the procedure, then a return to near normal within eight days. Surfactant and lung stability were normal. In each case there was a marked reduction in the gas volume of the reimplanted lung.