Abstract
Summary
Starling heart-lung preparations were ventilated with various mixtures of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide and the performance of the heart was evaluated by relating stroke work to left atrial pressure. At oxygen tensions of arterial blood between 65 mm Hg and 25 mm Hg performance improved. At 20 mm Hg or lower the performance was impaired but the impairment was reversible. The impairment was accompanied by an accumulation of lactate and pyruvate in the blood which also was reversible as oxygen tension was restored. Possible mechanism of these changes is discussed.
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