Circulatory response to hypoxia in unanesthetized dogs with and without cardiac denervation

Abstract

The generally held view that acute hypoxia stimulates the cardiovascular system was reinvestigated in ten normal, trained, unanesthetized dogs and in six dogs which had previously been subjected to total cardiac denervation. In the normal dogs, no significant or consistent changes were noted in cardiac output, stroke volume index, or in systemic arterial pressure 5 and 15 min after the onset of 8% O₂ inhalation. Heart rate, however, rose significantly. The dogs which had been subjected to cardiac denervation responded with small elevations of cardiac output and heart rate during the late hypoxic period. Thus, these findings are contrary to the classical concept that hypoxia elevates the cardiac output. Moreover, despite the absence of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic innervations of the heart, subjecting the denervated animals to severe hypoxia revealed that they were at no apparent hemodynamic disadvantage in comparison to the intact animals.