Pulmonary edema: physiologic approaches to management
NC Staub - Chest, 1978 - journal.chestnet.org
The blood vessels of the lung's microcirculation tend to allow a small amount of fluid to leak
from the circulating blood into the lung's perimicrovascular (interstitial) tissue. Normally, this
fluid is efficiently removed by the pulmonary lymphatic system so that the. fluid does not
accumulate within the alveolar walls or flood the air spaces. 1 The filtration of the fluid across
the microvascular endothelium is governed by the same principles as is flow lengthwise
along the vessels (Fig lA), namely:
from the circulating blood into the lung's perimicrovascular (interstitial) tissue. Normally, this
fluid is efficiently removed by the pulmonary lymphatic system so that the. fluid does not
accumulate within the alveolar walls or flood the air spaces. 1 The filtration of the fluid across
the microvascular endothelium is governed by the same principles as is flow lengthwise
along the vessels (Fig lA), namely:
