Differential liquid and protein clearance from the alveoli of anesthetized sheep.

We determined the clearance rates of 50 ml of isosmotic fluids from the lungs of anesthetized, ventilated sheep with lung lymph fistulas. The removal of the liquid volume followed a monoexponential process over 4 h for both Ringer lactate [half time (t 1/2) = 3 h] and autologous serum (t 1/2 = 6 h). Lymph flow did not increase with Ringer lactate, indicating that the alveolar fluid was cleared via the circulation. With serum, however, lymph flow increased 40%. In both groups the lymph-to-plasma protein concentration ratio fell slightly. Using protein tracers in the alveolar instillate, we found that less than 2% of the protein entered the lymph and plasma. Almost all of the protein remained in the air spaces and was concentrated in proportion to the amount of liquid volume that was cleared. Clearance of liquid volume from alveoli to interstitium could be due to subatmospheric interstitial fluid pressure or to active metabolic processes that cause small molecules to leave the alveolar fluid, or both. The results of the serum experiments tend to favor a metabolic process, but passive mechanisms are possible. The difference in lymph flow response between the two fluids must be due to the protein in the alveolar fluid. We believe Ringer lactate dilutes the alveolar wall interstitial protein concentration thereby decreasing local filtration, whereas serum concentrates alveolar wall interstitial fluids proteins thereby increasing local filtration.