Mechanical heart-lung interaction with positive end-expiratory pressure.

Recent reports have suggested that positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) depresses left ventricular (LV) function or shifts LV pressure-volume (PV) relationships due to neural, humoral, or mechanical events. These studies have usually utilized pressures measured during expiration. To study the mechanical effects of PEEP in expiration and inspiration, the circulation was arrested in 12 open-chest dogs, and the coronaries were perfused with a cold cardioplegic agent. Balloons were placed in the ventricles to measure ventricular pressures. Shifts in cardiopulmonary blood volume were prevented by venting the atria to atmosphere. Having ablated neural reflexes and humoral changes, we varied ventricular volumes, chest wall compliance, tidal volume, and PEEP. We found that isovolumic ventricular pressures (relative to atmosphere) increase with PEEP (P less than 0.001), and heart-lung interaction with PEEP is significantly greater in inspiration (P less than 0.001). The effect of PEEP is modified by heart volume (P less than 0.01) and respiratory system compliance (P less than 0.01). We conclude that a mechanical compressive force can be applied to the heart by the lungs as they expand, and this may explain the previous reports of diminished LV function or LV diastolic compliance with PEEP and, in part, explain the decreased cardiac output associated with PEEP. The marked increase in mechanical compressive forces applied to the heart during inspiration with PEEP may have far greater hemodynamic consequences than events during expiration.