Abstract
Confirmation is made of Kratschmer's 1 and Koblanck and Roeder's 2 observations that a premature systolic arhythmia occurs in tracheotomized rabbits after insufflation of irritating vapors and from mechanical and faradic stimulations of the nasal septum before and after double vagotomy. It also follows faradic stimulation of the central end the vagus and insufflation of benzol into the trachea. In one instance it came on while the small intestine was being uncoiled. It does not follow faradic stimulation of the central end of the lingual, phrenic, depressor, ulnar and sciatic nerves or the peripheral end of the vagus and cervical sympathetic trunks.
Simultaneous apical beat, carotid pressure and vena cava tracings show the right atrium to be beating normally while the left ventricle has a bigeminal arhythmia and electrocardiograms demonstrate this arhythmia to be of left ventricular origin.
It would appear that this arhythmia is not due to a direct peripheral nerve reflex from 2 observations: (a) that it never comes on immediately with the insufflation stimulation as is the case of the arrested respiration and the rise in blood pressure; (b) that it requires a very powerful stimulation or sometimes a number of stimulations to produce it.
In view of the fact that this bigeminal arhythmia normally follows an arrested respiration, a rise in blood pressure and a slowed and strength-pulse it is necessary to show that these secondary factors and certain resulting internal secretions are not the actual cause of the arhythmia.
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