The effects of respiratory acidosis on ventricular shunt flow and hemodynamics were studied in 20 anesthetized dogs with a ventricular septal defect and a normal pulmonary vascular bed. The interventricular shunt flow was measured directly by using a specially designed electromagnetic flow probe. Respiratory acidosis was produced by hypoventilation and tachypnea with constant minute volume. Hypoxemia was also induced by hypoventilation, but not by tachypnea with constant minute volume. Systemic vascular resistance was increased in severe hypoventilation at 100 and 50 ml of tidal volume, and tachypnea at 100 ml of tidal volume. However the increase of pulmonary vascular resistance was observed in only severe hypoventilation: arterial pH 6.9, PaO2 24 mmHg, and PaCO2 88 mmHg. Left to right ventricular shunt flow and pulmonary blood flow were increased significantly with no change of systemic blood flow in both conditions of respiratory acidosis. The diastolic fraction of shunt flow was increased significantly. These findings indicate that the increase of left to right shunt flow in respiratory acidosis might be one of the risk factors of congestive heart failure for the patients with ventricular septal defect.