The Sixty-Ninth Mary Scott Newbold Lecture

Abstract

An outline is presented of the author''s present concepts, based on the evolution of thinking from work in this field over the past quarter of a century. Cardiac failure is defined, the varieties discussed, and the pathological physiology evolved. The load on the heart, cardiac reserve, circulatory failure, the regulation of the normal heart, are all developed. Consideration is given to the mechanical efficiency, and the pathophysiology of cardiac edema is outlined. It is concluded that cardiac failure presents a complex problem which is only now beginning to be understood.