Hi

I am not 100% clear on the question.  Can you clarify?

Do you mean the transpulmonary pressure in the pulmonary circulation? If so, then the right heart catheter remains the gold standard in order to get the mean PA pressure and the wedge pressure. Of course if you cannot get the wedge pressure then the LV end-diastolic is needed.

Echo can only really estimate this, but in my view what the echo does is give you a good steer if the LA pressure will be normal or high.

There are no other "devices" as such, if by device you mean an instrument. The implantable PA pressure monitors cannot directly measure LA pressure.

I can probably be more specific if I am more certain of the question.

A very simple method that I use in rats is to connect a conventional monitor of blood pressure system to a three-way valve which is connected to the ventilated traqueotube .

In this way, when the animal breathes in and picks up the pressure monitor and offers me a curve pressures

In rats classically an interpleural cannula can be used to give one side of the pressure difference against alveolar pressure (measured as tracheal pressure at zero flow). More simple and less invasive method is to use oesophageal instead of pleural pressure. (More in: Paleček, F. Respiratory diseases. In:  Methods in animal physiology, Z.Deyl and J.Zicha eds. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1989, pp 371-389.)

My answer is limited to experience in measuring this in ambulatory humans in the upright position (measurement of lung compliance). I'm working on the premise that you are defining transpulmonary pressure as the difference between alveolar an pleural pressures.

Pleural pressures can be accurately estimated using an esophageal balloon catheter positioned in the lower 1/3 of the esophagus.  Alveolar pressures can be assumed to be equivalent to mouth pressures measured in the condition of no flow.

Our procedure was to position the catheter properly by having the subject swallow the balloon catheter while sipping water until the tip was approximately 50cm from the nares. We then attached the catheter to a pressure transducer and verified that a vigorous sniff produced a positive pressure deflection with respect to atmospheric pressure.  The balloon catheter is then pulled upward in small increments, checking the degree of negative deflection on sniff.  When consistent maximum negative pressure deflection is seen, the balloon catheter is likely to be positioned properly ( in the lower 1/3 of esophagus, with the entire balloon above the GE sphincter.

The then make an attachment to a pressure transducer that will reflect mouth pressure when the subject is breathing on a pneumotach (luerlok attachment just at the mouthpiece/filter) that has a shutter attached to it.  We have the subject inhale maximally and then passively exhale.  Our system will close the shutter briefly at pre-set volume or time intervals.  When the shutter is closed, the mouth pressure is assumed to be alveolar pressure. This is then plotted against exhaled volume to construct a pressure volume curve of the lung.

I hope this is helpful.

Best, Kevin