For additional evidence that the syndrome was due to cardiac insufficiency, 2 of the dogs were sacrificed for study in heart-lung preparations. Cardiac output was low for both hearts. To obtain cardiac outputs approaching the normal range for fresh heart-lung preparations required extremely high auricular pressure, e.g., 150 to 200 mm of saline.Calculation of the "competence index"( 7) also indicated marked cardiac impairment.The animals were sacrificed 1% to 3 months after pulmonary stenosis was produced. Autopsies revealed dilatation and hypertrophy of the right auricle and ventricle in each dog. The pleural cavity was dry and the lungs normal. The liver was markedly enlarged and congested, and 2 to 5 liters of serosanguinous fluid were found in the peritoneal Summary. -4 form of progressive, chronic, "right-sided" cardiac failure has been produced in dogs by tricuspid valve avulsion and pulmonary artery stenosis. Three dogs so treated developed congestive failure with elevated auricular pressure and distended veins, decreased work tolerance, hepatomegaly, ascites, tachycardia at rest, and a relatively fixed heart rate during exercise. Studies of 2 of the hearts in the heart-lung preparation indicate clearly that cardiac insufficiency was present .We are indebted t o Dr. Eugene M. Landis for suggesting this problem, and for his advice during the work. It is also a pleasure t o thank Dr. Otto Krayer for performing the lieart-lung experiments, and Dr. Cliarles A. Hufnagel for surgical advice and assistance.
Summary
The half-life of normal human gamma globulin labeled with I131 was determined in sixteen patients with hepatic cirrhosis and in seventeen controls.
In the patients with cirrhosis the mean half-life measured 9.1 days, and in the controls it was 13.7 days. This difference was statistically highly significant.
These results are interpreted as supporting the concept that the accumulation of gamma globulins in patients with hepatic cirrhosis is due to increased production rather than delayed removal.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.