RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRENGTH OF SHORT-TERM SYSTEMIC AUTOREGULATION AND INITIAL RESISTANCE

The relationship between strength of short-term whole body autoregulation and peripheral resistance in the reference state (initial resistance) was investigated in 9 anesthetized closed-chest dogs and 18 anesthetized open-chest cats. Baroreflex regulation was abolished in one of three ways: barodenervation, ganglionic blockade, or setting pressure constant in the isolated carotid sinuses after vagotomy. Ascending aortic pressure and flow and venous pressure were measured in the reference state and 1-3 min after partial occlusions of the inferior vena cava. Cardiac output and peripheral resistance (ratio between arteriovenous pressure difference and cardiac output) were normalized for body weight. Strength of autoregulation was quantified by a resistance gain (G(ra)), defined as the ratio between change in normalized peripheral resistance and corresponding change in normalized cardiac output. A broad range of values for peripheral resistance in the reference state (R(o)) was obtained as a result of the different interventions used to abolish baroreflex regulation. Arteriovenous pressure difference and normalized cardiac output during multiple vena cava occlusions in the 9 dogs and in 8 of the cats were fitted with a parabola convex to the flow axis. From the best fit, G(ra) was estimated. In the remaining 10 cats G(ra) was estimated from a single occlusion of vena cava. When data of all dogs and cats were taken together, we found a linear relationship between G(ra) and R(o): G(ra) = K-1.R(o) + K-2. The constants K-1 and K-2 were 17.9 x 10(-3) min.kg.ml(-1) and -14.5 x 10(-3) mmHg.min(2).kg(2).ml(-2), respectively. The correlation coefficient was 0.9.