Pulmonary vasodilator effects of nitroglycerin and sodium nitroprusside in canine oleic acid-induced pulmonary hypertension.

The hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin (TNG) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were studied in a canine model of pulmonary hypertension. Oleic acid administration resulted in pulmonary hypertension with a 133% increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), a 40% increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), and a 28% decrease in cardiac output (CO). In this model, subsequent TNG administration increased CO 40%, decreased PVR 43%, and decreased MPAP 12%; pulmonary hemodynamics during TNG administration were not significantly different from those prior to oleic acid administration. SNP produced systemic hypotension but did not alter either PVR or MPAP and increased CO only 14%. The efficacy of TNG in this model may relate to its ability to dilate preferentially the pulmonary vascular bed.