Anatomic study of the pulmonary artery as a conduit for an artificial lung

Our group is developing an artificial lung as a bridge to transplant. We evaluated the sheep pulmonary artery (PA) for the presence or absence of a septum, which may increase PA resistance and affect artificial lung flow. We also measured the PA size to determine whether it is a suitable conduit for artificial lung implantation using a PA-PA shunt. Adult Suffolk ewes in two groups were studied. Group 1 consisted of animals (n = 12, 30-43 kg) prepared for thoracotomy. Group 2 (n = 21, 30-43 kg) consisted of postmortem dissections. In both groups, the length and girth of the PA was measured. The heart and lungs were removed on all postmortem animals (group 2), the ductus arteriosum was crosscut, and the common PA was incised. The average length of the PA in live animals was 5.5 cm and the average diameter was 2.2 cm. The average length of the PA in postmortem animals was 4.8 cm and the average diameter was 2.0 cm. All pulmonary arteries were aseptate, and the ligamentum arteriosum in each PA was not patent. We conclude that the PA is not a source of increased resistance and is a suitable conduit for artificial lung implantation in the PA-PA configuration.