Hemodynamics of Patent Ductus Arteriosus: Analysis by Equisensitive Simultaneous Pressure Recording During Surgery

¹ From the Department of Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City

Pulmonary artery and aortic pulse tracings were obtained at surgery in two patients without heart disease and in seven patients with patent ductus arteriosus with and without pulmonary hypertension immediately before and after obliteration of the patent ductus, utilizing the technique of simultaneous recording of the two tracings from a single base line at identical sensitivities. Patent ductus arteriosus causes the following changes: a) delayed inflow into the pulmonary artery relative to aortic inflow; b) increase in duration of the period of total left ventricular ejection as compared to that of total right ventricular ejection; c) increase in duration of the phase of maximal right ventricular ejection as compared to the phase of reduced ejection; d) decrease in duration of maximal left ventricular ejection as compared to the phase of reduced ejection; e) low aortic dicrotic notch. Pulmonary hypertension appeared to be influential in the production of a delayed inflow into the pulmonary artery and the abnormal duration of ejection of the two ventricles.