VENOUS PRESSURE AND POSTURE IN NORMAL YOUNG WOMEN

Abstract

Venous pressure was detd. by the indirect method of Krogh, Turner and Landis on the superficial veins in the hands and feet of 7 normal healthy college women subjected to postural changes (horizontal position and angles of 45[degree] and 75[degree]) on a tilting board. Venous pressure in the veins of the hand at heart level following a preliminary period for adjustment remained constant for each individual (av. 7.2 cm. water) for periods of over 1 hr. in spite of changes of posture. Possible constriction of the subclavian vein was avoided by placing a small pillow beneath the shoulder, a procedure which may explain the difference between these results and those of others. The av. venous pressure in the superficial veins of the foot at heart level was 10.5 cm. water; it increased with changes in posture from the horizontal to 45[degree] and 75[degree] angles. For each position it remained nearly constant during the experimental period; at both 45[degree] and 75[degree] it was somewhat greater than the opposing hydrostatic factor. In healthy subjects who experienced no dizziness in the tilted postions the return of blood to the heart therefore seemed assured by venous pressure alone. In one subject with inferior circulatory adjustment when tilted to 75[degree] the pressure in the vein of the foot was inadequate to overcome the hydrostatic factor.