The cardiac output in patients with cirrhosis of the liver and tense ascites with observations on the effect of paracentesis.

Abstract

Previous studies in this laboratory (1) have indicated that the cardiac output may be elevated in patients with Laennec's cirrhosis. The question arose as to what role distention of the abdomen by ascites might play in determining the level of systemic blood flow. In the previously reported patients, elevation of cardiac output did not appear to be related to the presence or degree of ascites, but this aspect of the problem required further investigation. Few studies of the effect of ascites on cardiac output in man have come to our attention. Resnik, Friedman, and Harrison (2) estimated cardiac output in patients with congestive heart failure by means of the acetylene method and noted slight decreases during the accumulation of ascites in four patients. Six hours after paracentesis, per