[Morphofunctional assessment of the respiratory tract of rabbits in the subacute form of oxygen poisoning].

Rabbits were exposed to hyperoxic experiments (2.5--3.0 kg/cm2 O2 for 3--4 h and 2.0 kg/cm2 O2 for 16--22 h until death) to study changes in their respiratory and cardiovascular systems. After exposure one lung was used for histological examinations under light microscope and the other to determine the surfactant stability index. It was found that serious changes in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems in all animals (including those who died during exposure) were not followed by histological changes of the lungs. Therefore, the pathogenetic mechanisms of subacute (pulmonary) oxygen intoxication are associated with disorders in the central regulation of autonomic functions rather than with direct lesions of the pulmonary tissue.