Depression of the reflex tachycardia from the left atrial receptors by acidaemia

1. The effects are described of an acidaemia, produced either by the inhalation of carbon dioxide or by an intravenous infusion of hydrochloric acid, on the reflex increase in heart rate which results from stimulation of the left atrial receptors in the anaesthetized dog.2. The results show that during acidaemia the reflex increase in heart rate from stimulation of the left atrial receptors is reduced. The extent of the reduction is related to the degree of the acidaemia.3. It is suggested that it is necessary to monitor and correct changes in the pH of arterial blood in experiments which involve reflex changes in heart rate, especially if the efferent pathway involves the sympathetic nerves.4. It is also suggested that the occurrence of such an acidaemia in anaesthetized surgically traumatized animals may be a factor contributing to the variability in results from investigations involving reflex changes in heart rate in response to stimulation of the left side of the heart.

An approach to the problems of acid-base balance

1. The existing methods for assessing states of acidosis are discussed with particular reference to non-respiratory acidosis. Most of these methods are based either on the Henderson—Hasselbalch equation or on the direct extrapolation of in vitro studies on blood to the whole animal. The evidence available shows that these methods cannot be used to obtain an accurate assessment of disturbances of acid-base balance in the whole animal.

2. The experiments were designed to investigate the acid-base parameters of an animal when a respiratory acidosis was superimposed on a non-respiratory acidosis caused by the infusion of n HCl; from these experiments it was possible to construct CO2 titration curves at various levels of non-respiratory acidosis.

3. A scheme which is based upon the CO2 titration curves, has been proposed for assessing an acute acid-base disturbance in terms of its respiratory and non-respiratory components.

4. The use of sodium bicarbonate to correct a non-respiratory acidosis was investigated, and it was shown that the amount of sodium bicarbonate required varied with the rate of infusion. No firm predictions could be made regarding the dose of bicarbonate required, but from the results of the present experiments an infusion rate of 0·1 mEq kg−1 min−1 is recommended in dogs.

The effect of distending the junction between the superior vena cava and the right atrium in the dog

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