| Abstract: | In acute experiments on anesthetized cats, intravenous injection of the pressor drugs (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and depressor drugs (acetylcholine, histamine, isadrin) caused different changes of right and left atrial pressures. Following catecholamine injection, right atrial pressure decreased in most cases, whereas left atrial pressure increased. In case of injection of the depressor drugs, right atrial pressure increased in most cases, and left atrial pressure decreased. Thus, changes of atrial pressures following intravenous injections of pressor and depressor drugs were reciprocal. The percent changes of the right atrial pressure in case of intravenous injections of pressor drugs were lesser than in the left atrial pressure. In case of intravenous injection of depressor drugs, if both right and left atrial pressures were decreased, then the percent changes of the right atrial pressure were more significant than in the left atrial pressure. If both right and left atrial pressure were increased their percent changes were equal. The increasing of inferior vena cava flow following catecholamine injection was less significant if atrial pressures were increased, whereas in case of depressor drugs injection superior vena cava flow was less significant if atrial pressures were increased. The character of changes of the right and left atrial pressures had no linear correlation with the directions of the shifts of the venous return and cardiac output. |
