Abstract
Based on a Dissertation read before the Royal Medical Society on Friday, 23rd October 1959.The arterial blood pressure is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Information about the level of the arterial pressure is obtained by the stretch receptors of the aortic arch and the carotid sinus. An increase in pressure is registered as an increase in sensory discharge frequency and vice-versa. The sensory impulses reach the medulla by the carotid sinus nerves, the cardia-aortic nerves and the vagi. The central nervous mechanisms are such that changes in the arterial pressure evoke compensatory changes in the dynamics of the circulation. A fall in carotidsinus pressure, for example, evokes peripheral arteriolar constriction, an increase in venous tone and an increase in heart rate. Generalised arteriolar constriction increases total peripheral resistance. An increase in venous tone tends to increase the venous tilling pressure and the stroke volume of the heart. The combined increase in stroke volume and heart rate produces a rise in cardiac output, which, together with the increase in peripheral resistance,restores the original arterial pressure
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.