INTRAVENOUS CATHETERIZATION OF THE HEART IN SUSPECTED CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Abstract

RRECENT advances in the surgical alteration¹and correction of certain congenital defects of the heart and the great vessels make it imperative that more exact diagnoses of such lesions be made. Intravenous catheterization of the heart has been found to be a most useful aid in ascertaining the condition when such congenital abnormalities are suspected. Forssmann,²in 1929, first introduced the method by catheterizing his own heart. In 1941, Cournand and Ranges³emphasized its applicability to the study of certain physiologic changes that occur in various types of heart disease. Blood samples may be obtained from various parts of the venous system, from the right side of the heart and from the pulmonary artery and its branches for estimation of the oxygen content. At the same sites, the blood pressure may be determined with a Hamilton manometer⁴or similar apparatus. Other investigators⁵have used this method to