Circulatory and respiratory adaptation in man to acute withdrawal and reinfusion of blood

Abstract

In eight healthy men 950 g of blood (12.2 17.6% of the blood volume) was withdrawn and reinfused after about half an hour. Respiration and circulation were studied by analyses of expiratory gas, blood gases and data from right heart catheterization. On hemorrhage oxygen uptake and cardiac output decreased by 10 and 28%, repectively; both varied indirectly with the blood loss. The pressures in the right ventricle, pulmonary and systemic arteries fell without relation to the cardiac output. Mean heart rate did not change significantly, but a moderate positive covariation (P less than 0.05) between heart rate and arterial blood pressure was found during bleeding. This result was confirmed by the relative bradycardia noted in the period prior to reinfusion. On refilling of the bood the oxygen uptake and the pulmonary arterial pressures increased above the initial value. The heart rate varied directly with the arterial pressure also during reinfusion. The observations demonstrate a depression of the metabolism and circulation on moderate hemorrhage. Part of these effects is tentatively referred to a lowered set point of the arterial baroreflexes.