Effects of dopamine on the pulmonary circulation of the dog.

The effects of dopamine infusion (10 and 20 micrograms kg-1 min-1) on pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and pulmonary arterial resistance (PAR) were studied. Experiments were carried out on 60 anesthetized dogs using two different models: model A, with mechanical perfusion of pulmonary circulation and constant left ventricular output, and model B, with physiologic pulmonary perfusion and non-fixed ventricular output. When pulmonary blood flow was constant, dopamine did not change PAP or PAR at either dose. When cardiac output (CO) was allowed to increase, PAP increased with dopamine at both doses, whereas PAR did not change with 20 micrograms kg-1 min-1 dopamine and was reduced by the 10 micrograms kg-1 min-1 dose. We conclude that the increase in PAP could not be explained solely by the rise in CO, but was probably related to an inhibitory effect of dopamine on pulmonary vascular accommodation and to increases in CO, especially when the drug was utilized at higher doses.