The Cardiac Output and Other Measurements of the Circulation in Coarctation of the Aorta 1

Cerebral Blood Flow in Coarctation of the Aorta

“…Left ventricular oxygen consumption was increased in all subjects in the series regardless of age or rate of coronary flow (6). Cardiac output is reported as increased (7) or normal (6) by both the Fick principle and the acetylene method (5). No sizable series has been reported in which cerebral blood flow has been measured, although in two subjects it was reported to be increased (8).…”

“…These studies have shown that the renal blood flow is within normal limits (1), as in flow to the extremities (2-4), even though the circulation time to the lower parts of the body has a tendency to be prolonged (5). Although coronary blood flow has been reported to be increased (6), the data are quite scattered, and if the two youngest subjects (12 and 15 years old) were excluded, the results would be within normal limits.…”

“…The possibility was considered that there might be a significant delay in the passage of blood through the collateral channels about the coarcted segment of the aorta to the femoral artery (5), and, as a result, the femoral arterial nitrous oxide curve might be shifted to the right. If this were true, the femoral arterial versus internal jugular nitrous oxide curves as compared to the brachial arterial versus internal jugular curves would reveal factitial narrowing of the arteriovenous nitrous oxide difference and result in a calculated increase in the cerebral blood flow, as estimated from the femoral artery site.…”

General Hemodynamics and Splanchnic Circulation in Patients with Coarctation of the Aorta1

“…Cardiac output has been found to be normal or increased (2,(21)(22)(23). Measurements have demonstrated total oxygen consumption to be normal (24) or increased (21,25).…”