Pressure-Volume Curves of the Arterial and Venous Systems in Live Dogs

¹ From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi

Pressure-volume curves have been recorded for the arterial and the venous systems of live dogs. The quantity of blood in the arterial system of a 12-kg dog was found to average approximately 60 cc greater when the heart was pumping blood normally than when the circulation of blood was at a standstill. Likewise, under normal dynamic conditions the quantity of blood in the venous system of the 12-kg dog averaged 60 cc less than that under static conditions. The capacitance (dV/dP) of the venous system, as calculated from the pressure-volume curves, averaged between 18 and 30 times as great as the capacitance of the arterial system. This means that for each unit change in blood pressure the venous system can hold 18–30 times as much blood as can the arterial system within the range of pressures measured in this study.

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