Blood flow redistribution during isocapnic hypoxia in foetal lamb

Circulatory responses to hypoxaemia were studied in 16 foetal lambs in 120-129 and 135-145 days of gestation (term: 147 days). Under general anaesthesia catheters were inserted into the foetal vessels and the umbilical blood was measured during antipyrine infusion by the Fick steady-state diffusion method. The combined ventricular output and actual organ blood flows were calculated from injections of radionuclide-labelled microspheres into a forelimb and a hindlimb vein. Isocapnic hypoxia was produced by giving the ewe a breathing gas mixture of 9% O2 and 3% CO2 in N2 for 30 min. A significant increase was found in the blood flow of the myocardium, the lungs, the brain and in the combined ventricular output between 0.80 and 0.95 gestation times. Under isocapnic hypoxaemia blood flow increased to the brain, heart and adrenals, whilst it decreased to the lungs, kidneys, gut and carcass. The observed changes were different at the two measurement times. Under hypoxia, depending on the gestation time, the blood flow increased in the diencephalon, midbrain, hypophysis and in the cervical cord. In the cerebral, cerebellar and lumbosacral cord it remained unchanged, while decreasing in the chorioid plexus and in the hippocampus. In the gestation period under examination the foetal circulation undergoes significant redistribution.