REVIEW ARTICLE

Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction in Humans: Tale or Myth

The Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal 24 Jan 2017 REVIEW ARTICLE DOI: 10.2174/1874192401711010001

Abstract

Hypoxic Pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) describes the physiological adaptive process of lungs to preserves systemic oxygenation. It has clinical implications in the development of pulmonary hypertension which impacts on outcomes of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. This review examines both acute and chronic hypoxic vasoconstriction focusing on the distinct clinical implications and highlights the role of calcium and mitochondria in acute versus the role of reactive oxygen species and Rho GTPases in chronic HPV. Furthermore it identifies gaps of knowledge and need for further research in humans to clearly define this phenomenon and the underlying mechanism.

Keywords: Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction, Human, Acute hypoxia, Chronic hypoxia, Pulmonary hypertension.
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