Measurement of baroreflex control of left ventricular contractility in the conscious dog

The purpose of the present study was to assess carotid baroreflex control of left ventricular contractility in the conscious dog. The authors describe the hardware and software which was designed and implemented to perform this study, and a present brief report on the results obtained from the study. Custom designed software, written in the ASYST language, was used to acquire, display and analyze the hemodynamic data. Variables recorded include mean arterial pressure, carotid sinus pressure, cardiac output, heart rate, left ventricular pressure and left ventricular volume. In order to obtain quantitative data on left ventricular contractility, the conductance catheter technique was employed to measure left ventricular volume. The preload recruitable stroke work was calculated as an index of ventricular contractility