Some Effects of Digoxin upon the Heart and Circulation in Man

The Influence of Hydrogen Ion Concentration and Hypoxia on the Pulmonary Circulation*

“…This conclusion is based on a fall or no change in pulmonary artery pressure, despite changes in blood flow and blood gases usually productive of a rise in lesser circuit pressures in subjects with chronic obstructive disease of the lungs. Previous investigations have established that the pulmonary vascular bed in this type of patient will respond to an acute increase in cardiac output by a rise in pressure (1,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). The lack of pressure rise encountered in the present series and, indeed, the fall in pulmonary artery pressure obtained in the three patients (No.…”

“…This difficulty was overcome by assuming that the slope of the regression of pressure on one of the two independent variables changes at a constant rate with variations in the other. On this premise, Gomez has developed the following equation to express the relation among the three variables in a more complete manner: P = K + aH + bS +wHS, [1] where P = pulmonary artery mean pressure in Figure 9. The correlation coefficient (0.867, p < 0.001) is significantly greater, p < 0.01, than that of the simple multiple correlation.…”

“…Sodium bicarbonate was administered as a 7.5% solution (0.9 M), whereas Tris 1 was given in 15% solution 1 Supplied through the courtesy of the Sigma Chemical Co., St 11.9% during the infusion (Table V). The total blood volume itself did not change.…”

“…In these individuals, as disturbances in gas exchange are corrected, pulmonary artery pressures fall (1). The high degree of correlation between the level of pulmonary artery pressures and the degree of hypoxemia (2,3) as well as the pressor response to acutely induced hypoxia (4,5) has implicated a reduced oxygen tension within the lungs as a major factor in the appearance of pulmonary hypertension (6).…”

André F. cournand: Father of clinical cardiopulmonary physiology

“…The hemodynamics spectrum of circulatory changes secondary to chronic lung disease and rheumatic valve disease was described in serial reports with Irene Ferrer and Rejanne Harvey, together with studies on the circulatory and cardiac effects of quinidine (Ferrer ef al., 1948); the effect of digoxin in chronic cor pulnionale (Ferrer et al, 1950); and in left ventricular failure ; the relationship between electrical and mechanical events of the cardiac cycle (Coblentz et ul., 1949); hemodynamic studies in rheumatic tricuspid stenosis (Femr et al, 1953) and mitral stenosis (Harvey et ul., 1955); mechanical and myocardial factors in chronic constrictive pericarditis ; effects of mitral comniissurotomy with reference to selection of patients for surgery (Ferrer et al, 1955); and cardiocirculatory studies in pulsus alternans of the systemic and pulmonary circulation (Ferrer PI al., 1956) and in atrial flutter (Harvey et d . , 1955b).…”