Abstract
Local velocity was measured with a hot film probe in the main pulmonary artery and ascending aorta of 10 adults in whom the valves were normal. The maximal intensity of turbulence was higher in the aorta (4.2 ± 0.4 cm/sec) (mean ± SEM) than in the pulmonary artery (1.6 ± 0.2 cm/sec) (P < .001). Maximal velocity in the aorta (75 ± 7 cm/sec) was also higher than in the pulmonary artery (43 ± 5 cm/sec) (P < .001). These observations indicate that the aorta rather than the pulmonary artery is the site of greater disturbances of flow, partially due to a higher blood velocity in that vessel.
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