Hypoperfusion states cause lactic acidosis, and the acidemia further reduces the inadequate cardiac output. Conceivably, the adverse effect of lactic acidemia on cardiac output is due to depressed contractility demonstrated in isolated myocardium. Alternatively, factors governing venous return cause a relative hypovolemic state and/or acidemic pulmonary vasoconstriction-induced right ventricular dysfunction. We reasoned that examination of left ventricular pressure-volume relationships at end systole and end diastole would determine which of these potential mechanisms accounted for reduced cardiac output during progressive lactic acidosis in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs. Left ventricular (LV) volume was estimated from two pairs of epicardial ultrasonic crystals placed in the anterior-posterior and longitudinal planes, and LV pressure was obtained rom a catheter-tipped transducer. During progressive acidemia induced by a continuous intravenous infusion of 0.5 N lactic acid, cardiac output, stroke volume, and mean systemic arterial pressure fell significantly while mean pulmonary artery pressure and right atrial pressure increased significantly. These variables did not change with time in control (no-acid infusion) dogs. Lactic acidemia caused a 40% reduction in stroke volume, which could be attributed to depressed LV contractility, characterized by a decrease in maximum dP/dt as well as a fall in slope (Emax) with no change in volume intercept (Vo) of the left ventricular pressure-volume relationship at end systole. Neither the measured left ventricular end-diastolic pressure nor the estimated left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) decreased with acidemia, suggesting that the reduced venous return did not result from relative hypovolemia. However, acidemic pulmonary hypertension may have interfered with the expected response to myocardial depression, which is an increase in LVEDV.