INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATION ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN MAN: WITH A NOTE ON VASOMOTOR WAVES

The study of the influence of respiration on the blood pressure has been based mainly on experiments with animals. Lewis1 studied in cats the effect on the blood pressure of variations in the pericardial pressure, section of the vagi and differences in the type of respiration and concluded that the main factor was the decrease of the pericardial pressure during inspiration, which caused an increase of the blood pressure in this phase. His experiments on man2 permitted him to observe the influence of the type and rate of respiration and of the pulse rate. He concluded that the blood pressure has no uniform behavior during the respiratory movement, because it can rise or fall according to the type, frequency and depth of respiration. During quiet breathing no respiratory modifications in arterial pressure were noted.Visscher, Rupp and Scott3 made experiments on dogs and came to the conclusion