Preservation of the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to alveolar hypoxia during the administration of halothane to dogs.

The action of halothane on the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to unilateral alveolar hypoxia was studied in two groups of dogs. In the first group the redistribution of blood flow between the two lungs was studied with a radioactive isotope method, which provided intermittent measurements, whilst in the second group the distribution of blood flow was observed continuously. In both groups there was no significant alteration of the hypoxic vasoconstrictor response with inspired halothane concentrations varying from 0.5 to 1.5%.