ARTIFICIAL NATURE AND SITE OF THE SYSTOLIC PRESSURE DROP DURING INOTROPIC STIMULATION OF THE NORMAL VENTRICLE

Abstract

The effect of stellate stimulation on the exposed heart of the normal dog was studied with regard to the type of pressure contour changes recorded in the left ventricular main chamber. The evidence pointed toward a correlation between the presence or absence of systolic upshoot on the pressure contour and, respectively, the presence or absence of systolic obstruction of the tip of the recording catheter. The upshoot is interpreted as the accidental equivalent of subendocardial pressure, the reliability of which is, furthermore, open to question.