Acute Effects of Hypoxaemia and Angiotensin II in the Human Pulmonary Vascular Bed

Summary: Hypoxaemia and angiotensin II both cause pulmonary vasoconstriction and co-exist as pathophysiological pulmonary pressor stimuli in patients with cor pulmonale. Evidence from animal studies, however, suggests that angiotensin II may modulate the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response. We have therefore studied how hypoxaemia and angiotensin II interact in the human pulmonary vascular bed.