Abstract
Summary
The vasoconstrictor effect of epinephrine on the isolated perfused rabbit ear was found to vary with the perfusion pressure. The drop in flow caused by a given dose of epinephrine was a constant fraction of the original value. This result suggests that the tension developed by the vascular smooth muscle depends on the initial stretch. It is concluded that the apparently greater effect produced by epinephrine infusions in hypertensives, as determined by plethysmographic methods, may be due in part to the higher initial blood pressure in these individuals.
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