The influence of cardiovascular changes on ventilation has been demonstrated in adult animals and humans (Jones, French, Weissman & Wasserman, 1981; Wasserman, Whipp & Castagna 1974). It has been suggested that neonatal hypoxic ventilatory depression may be related to some of the hemodynamic changes that occur during hypoxia (Brown & Lawson, 1988; Darnall, 1985; Suguihara, Bancalari, Bancalari, Hehre & Gerhardt, 1986). To test the possible relationship between the cardiovascular and ventilatory response to hypoxia in the newborn, eleven sedated spontaneously breathing piglets (age: 5.9 +/- 1.6 days; weight: 1795 +/- 317 g; SD) were studied before and after alpha adrenergic blockade with phenoxybenzamine. Minute ventilation (VE) was measured with a pneumotachograph, cardiac output (CO) by thermodilution and total and regional brain blood flow (BBF) with radiolabeled microspheres. Measurements were performed while the animals were breathing room air and after 10 min of hypoxia induced by breathing 10% O2. Hypoxia was again induced one hour after infusion of phenoxybenzamine (6 mg/kg over 30 min). After 10 min of hypoxia, in the absence of phenoxybenzamine, the animals responded with marked increases in VE (P less than 0.001), CO (P less than 0.001), BBF, and brain stem blood flow (BSBF) (P less than 0.02). However, the normal hemodynamic response to hypoxia was eliminated after alpha adrenergic blockade. There were significant decreases in systemic arterial blood pressure, CO, and BBF during hypoxia after phenoxybenzamine infusion; nevertheless, VE increased significantly (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)