Measurement of Bronchial Blood Flow in Tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract

Bronchial blood flow was measured in nine patients with tetralogy of Fallot and in two of these cases after radical operation also. The study was made of simultaneous recording of dye-dilution curves from the left atrium and the ear following dye injection into the aortic root. A method of calculating the bronchial blood flow was devised by combining the dye-dilution method with the Fick principle. The bronchial blood flow was increased in all cases. The mean value was 0.46±0.31 L/min, with a range from 0.14 to 1.27 L/min; this is equivalent to 15.3% of the pulmonary artery flow on the average. This study showed no definite relationships among pulmonary artery blood flow, pulmonary artery pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, severity of disease, and patient's age. The postoperative measurement revealed no significant change in bronchial blood flow though its ratios to the pulmonary artery or aortic blood flows were considerably decreased.