VOLUME ELASTICITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HUMAN AORTA AND PREDICTION OF THE STROKE VOLUME FROM THE PRESSURE PULSE

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The capacities at different pressures of 48 human aortas were calculated from aortic lengths and the tension-length relations of rings cut from selected locations along the aorta. There was no statistically significant correlation between age and aortic length or absolute distensibility. Absolute capacity increased with age and with the incidence of hypertension. Variability was so large that aortic size could not be predicted from age. Relative distensibility, i.e., V/V P is more variable than absolute distensibility, i.e., V/ P. A prediction of 75 stroke indexes of 26% from the known Fick values. When the preduction was corrected for lessening arterial distensibility at high pressures, the discrepancy averaged 19%. Various formulas using pulse pressure given in the literature gave avg. discrepancies of 24 to 34%. 8 patients with congestive failure had small stroke volumes and aberrantly large pulse pressures. The explanation for this is not clear, and they were not included in the above series.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: