The measurement of venous pressure in man, eliminating the hydrostatic factor

642

THE

AMERICAN

HEART

JOURNAL

If

the circulation to the leg or to a portion of the liver is arrested for about hours, no elevation of blood pressure occurs when the circulation is restored. Neither recent adrenalectomy nor recent splenectomy prevents an elevatioc of blood pres’sure following restoration of renal circulation after complete bllateral &hernia. AUTHORS.

two

Weeks, David M., Steiner, Alfred, Mansfield, The Depressor Effect of Spleno-Reno-Pexy Ischemia. J. Exper. Med. 72: 345, 1940.

James S., and Victor, Joseph: on Hypertension Due to Renal

In hypertensive dogs with bilateral renal ischemia, unilateral splenorenopexy lowers the systolic blood pressure for as long as nine and one-half months. Following removal of the fused spleen and kidney, the decreased blood pressure of the dogs with renal ischemia returns to the hypertensive level. The splenorenopexy produces a collateral circulation between the splenic sinusoids and the capillaries about the renal tubules. The glomeruli are not usually involved in this collateral circulation. AUTHORS.

Omstein, George G., and Epstein, Israel G.: Spirometry as a Procedure of Determining Pulmonary Efficiency in Pulmonary and Heart Disease. The Failure of X-rays of the Chest in Estimating Pulmonary Reserve. J. M. Sot. New Jersey

37:

401,

1940.

The use of spirometry is advocated as a simple method of estimating pulmonary reserve and efficiency in cardiac and pulmonary diseases. By means of spirometry the predicted maximum minute ventilation may be calculated from the actual vital capacity. A formula has been developed to calculate the .pulmonary reserve compared to the resting minute ventilation. The normal is a reserve that is ten times greater than the resting minute ventilation. When the pulmonary reserve is less than six times the resting minute ventilation, symptoms of anoxemia occur. Dyspnea is the chief symptom, and it increases in intensity as the pulmonary reserve fa&. When the maximum minute ventilation (pulmonary reserve) becomes less than four times the resting minute ventilation, the prognosis as to life is bad. The measured minute ventilation is higher than the calculated normal when the maximum ventilation is reduced in volume. The serve.

roentgenogram

of

the

lungs

cannot

be used

in

estimating

pulmonary

re-

AUTHORS. Halt, J. P.: The Measurement of Venous Pressure in Man, Eliminating static Factor. Am. J. Physiol. 130: 635, 1940.

the Hydro-

Venous pressure was determined in the supine and prone positions in ten normal subjects, using a modification of the direct method of Moritz and Tabora. Venous pressure values obtained using the reference point of Moritz and Tabora and that of Eyster were markedly different from the values obtained using the reference points of von Reeklinghausen, Lyons et al., and the method described here. The reference point of Moritz and Tabora and that of Eyster appear to be placed too far ventrally. It is suggested that venous pressure be determined in the following manner in The pressure in the antecubital vein order to eliminate the hydrostatic factor.

643

SELECTED ABSTRACTS

is measured by the direct method, with the subject in the supine position, the arm lying well below the center of the body and abducted to approximately 45”. The subject is turned over into the prone position and the pressure is measured again, with the arm well below the center of the body and abducted to about 45”. All pressures are referred to the level of the spine as zero. The sum of the two pressures divided by two equals the venous pressure, and the reference point is located at the point in the chest midway between the tops of the two columns of saline in the two pressure measurements. Venous pressure determined in this manner varied between 7.8 and 14.1 cm. of saline, with results in 80 per cent of the cases varying between 7.8 and 12.1 cm. of saline. AUTHOR. Altschule, M.

D., Volk, Marie C., and Henstell, H.: Cardiac and Respiratory at Rest in Patients With Uncomplicated Polycythemia Vera. Am. J.

Mark

Function

SC. 200:

478,

1940.

Measurements of cardiac and respiratory fun&ion in patients with polycythemia vera at rest are normal. The slowing of blood flow, and the symptoms associated with it, are not due to impaired cardiac function but rather to increased resistance to the flow of blood through the small capillaries. This is largely due to inereased viscosity of the blood. AUTHORS.

Arrighi, Rev.

Federico argent.

P. : A New Type of Membrane

de cardiol.

for Direct Phonocardiography.

7: 82, 1940.

A new type of membrane for direct phonocardiography is described. It is made of elastic collodion (solution of pyroxilin in alcohol and ether). Once applied on the segmented capsule, it is wrinkled to make it more sensitive and aperiodic. The membrane thus prepared has good sensitivity, is well ‘dampened, gives good tracings with scarcely any distortion, and may last for years. AUTHOR. Bnchbinder, Auricular

W. C., and Sugar-man, Fibrillation,

Measured

H.: Directly.

Arterial Arch.

Blood Int.

I?ressure in Cases of Med.

66:

625,

1940.

The blood pressure has been recorded in cases of aurieular fibrillation in man a direct method. Fluctuations of blood pressure occur from beat to beat in cases of aurieular fibrillation and other irregularities of the heart. The systolic and pulse pressure show a direct relation and the diastolic pressure an inverse relation to the preceding cycle length. The QE interval was measured and found to shorten with the longer cyclo lengths. The duration of ejection fits the formula S = K \/c , and in four of our cases in which a curve of means could be drawn, K equaled 0.26, 0.26, 0.26, and 0.23. In cases of aurieular fibrillation and flutter with regular rhythm, the values for blood pressure are nearly constant. Extrasystoles are found to obey the same relation to the preceding cycle length as that found with auricular fibrillation and flutter, but in their presence additional factors play some role. by