Ventricular Function

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Abstract
The relationship between left and right atrial pressures was examined during varying physiologic conditions in dogs. The pressure outside the ventricles (intrapericardial pressure) modifies the relation between left and right atrial pressures. When one ventricle is stressed, as by increasing its outflow resistance, its filling pressure increases relative to that of the other ventricle. When the metabolic support of one ventricle is compromised, as by restricting coronary flow thereto, its filling pressure increases relative to that of the other ventricle. The varying relationship between the 2 atrial pressures, when integrated with Starling''s law of the heart, explains how the 2 ventricles maintain output balance during varying conditions. Right atrial pressure is not a valid indicator of left ventricular function. The function of the 2 ventricles must be studied separately.
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