Pulmonary Effects of Prolonged Sympathetic Stimulation 1

Summary Previous work in monkeys and cats showed that sympathetic stimulation via mechanical head injury and exposure to hyperbaric oxygen resulted in an immediate decrease in lung compliance and altered alveolar surfactants in the absence of any evidence of gross pulmonary edema or congestion as evidenced by normal lung wt/body wt ratios. Such effects were ameliorated by pretreatment with sympathetic blocking agents but not with atropine. Similar results were found during short-term sympathetic stimulation via the stellate ganglia. In the present study, using cats, a 3-hr continuous electrical stimulation of the stellate ganglion decresed lung compliance by 38% in the absence of any increse in lung wt/body wt ratio or lung wet wt/dry wt ratio. Such evidence suggests that this sympathetic-induced compliance decrese was due to factors other than cardiovascular.