Pulmonary driving pressure as a pulmonary function test in horses

Pulmonary Driving Pressure (PDP) is defined as the difference between the pulmonary artery pressure and the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Pulmonary driving pressure is a measure of alveolar ventilation. This parameter was determined in 20 normal horses. The mean value was 10.0 +/−2.37 mm Hg. The PaO2 in these horses varied between 98 and 110 mm Hg. In two of these 20 horses, pulmonary driving pressure was determined 10 timesconsecutively. The obtained values were within very narrow limits for the respective horses indicating the reproducibility of the technique.