Pathogenesis of Cardiac Oedema

Role of cardiac vagal c-fibers in cardiovascular control

“…Thus the sodium retention in heart failure in dogs (Barger et al, 1959) and man (Brod, 1972) is partly dependent on the renal nerves. Furthermore also the sodium retention in dogs with inferior caval obstruction is partly dependent on the renal nerves (Gill et al, 1967;Azer et al, 1972;Slick et al, 1974), and blocking of the renal sympathetic nerves in man will attenuate the renal sodium conservation-during sodium depletion (Gill and Bartter, 1966).…”

Relation of plasma aldosterone concentration to diuretic treatment in patients with severe heart disease.

“…At the onset of heart failure and in the untreated situation a moderate increase in plasma aldosterone is expected as part of the increase in sympathetic activity (Brod, 1972) and the primary stimulus to fluid retention (Davis, 1974) from a fall in effective arterial volume or a reduced sodium load in the distal tubule after enhanced reabsorption proximally.…”

“…Until recently the part played by aldosterone has been difficult to define, partly because of technical factors as pointed out by Nicholls et al (1974) and partly because of the paradoxical effect of diuretic therapy, which in the early stages of treatment of congestive failure reduces the activity of the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system (Laragh, 1962;Genest et al, 1968;Nicholls et al, 1974), in contrast to the stimulation found with diuretics in normal subjects and in patients with hypertension (Laragh et al, 1972). There is also a suggestion that the activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is increased in heart failure as part of the general increase in sympathetic activity under these circumstances (Brod, 1972;Davis, 1974). Aldoster-Received for publication 15lJanuary 1979 one antagonists are often recommended in treatment to prevent both sodium retention and potassium loss; they may be particularly useful for chronic treatnent in the dried-out state, as Nicholls et al (1974) have shown that hyperaldosteronism is a major feature in patients approaching dry weight on continued diuretic treatment.…”

The Mechanism of Adaptation of Left Atrial Stretch Receptors in Dogs with Chronic Congestive Heart Failure

“…Although Johnston used post-mortem material, he did not state whether or not any cardiac pathology was present in these patients, an important consideration in view of the present findings. Diffuse endocardial nerve nets have also been described in the atrium (45,47 Since the secretion of ADH under normal conditions appears to be in part governed by mechanoreceptors located on both the high and low pressure side of the circulation (48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53), alterations in the activity of these receptors could potentially alter the secretion of ADH.…”