VISCEROCARDIAC REFLEXES

Abstract
The impression that visceral excitation may produce reflex alteration of cardiac activity is rapidly gaining ground in the clinical literature. Occasionally, even the death of the patient has been attributed to such a reflex disturbance. Of all the viscera that may influence the heart reflexly, the gallbladder and the biliary passages have been most suspected. Osier1and Albutt2cited instances in which patients died during gallstone colic and ascribed the death to reflex vagal inhibition. Others3have commented on the relation of cardiac arrhythmia to gallstone colic. Several writers4have reported a series of cases showing that myocarditis and cholecystitis are so frequently associated that some meaning for the association probably exists. Babcock,5Mayo,"Strauss and Hamburger7have reported cases of cardiac disorders in which improvement occurred after operation was performed on the biliary tract. That cardiac irregularities may be induced reflexly from visceral excitation is supported

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