Pressure-flow relationships in the isolated perfused rabbit heart

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between pressure and flow in the isolated mammalian Ringer's fluid-perfused rabbit heart. Results indicate that in the isolated euthermic rabbit heart the pressure-flow relationship, including observations for very low ranges of pressure and flow, is curvilinear with the curve convex to the pressure axis and tending to pass through the origin. These studies have presented no evidence for a generalized critical closing pressure in the isolated heart at normal temperature.