The Blood Pressure of Giraffes

2021 ◽  
pp. 187-215
Author(s):  
Graham Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Left Ventricle ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Very High

As discussed in this chapter, giraffes have, compared with any other mammal, a very high mean blood pressure of ~250 mmHg. Human blood pressure is ~90 mmHg. Its size is determined by the length of the neck, the height of the head above the heart, by hydrostatic pressure generated by gravity acting on the column of blood in the carotid artery, and contractions of the heart muscles: blood pressure must be high enough to ensure that blood reaches the brain. Uniquely in giraffes blood pressure is regulated by receptors that are located in both the carotid and occipital arteries. Once thought to be ~2.5% of body mass the heart is smaller (~0.5% of body mass) but its muscle walls, especially of the interventricular wall and left ventricle wall, are exceptionally thick (up to 8 cm). The relative cardiac output is the same as in other mammals (~5 L 100 kg–1 of body mass) through a combination of a higher than predicted heart rate (70 b min–1 vs 50 b min–1) and smaller than predicted stroke volume (~0.7 ml kg–1 body mass vs 1.2 ml kg–1). Stroke volume is small because the left ventricle muscle wall is thick. The origin of high blood pressure is the resistance to blood flow, which is about twice what it is in other mammals. The higher resistance results from a combination of the thick muscular walls and narrow lumens of a giraffe’s blood vessels and unique mechanisms that regulate blood flow to the brain.

Cardiovascular changes associated with thermal polypnea in the chicken

1964 ◽  
Vol 207 (6) ◽  
pp. 1349-1353 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Whittow ◽  
P. D. Sturkie ◽  
G. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Respiratory Rate ◽  
Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Skin Temperatures ◽  
Increased Blood Flow

The effect of hyperthermia on the respiratory rate, cardiac output, blood pressure, arterial hematocrit, and the skin temperatures of the extremities of unanesthetized hens has been investigated. During hyperthermia, the respiratory rate increased to a maximal value and then declined. There was also an increase in cardiac output, followed by a decrease, but the peak cardiac output occurred at a rectal temperature which was significantly higher than that at which the peak respiratory rate was recorded. The increase in cardiac output was the result of an increase in both stroke volume and heart rate. The diminution of cardiac output seemed to be related to a decrease in the stroke volume at high levels of heart rate. The decrease in blood pressure and total peripheral resistance was attributed partly to an increased blood flow through the extremities.

Control of Blood Pressure and the Distribution of Blood Flow

1991 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. 79-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans T. Versmold
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Systemic Blood Pressure ◽  
Adrenergic Innervation ◽  
Systemic Blood ◽  
Low Cardiac Output ◽  
Neurohumoral Control ◽  
The Brain

Systemic blood pressure (BP) is the product of cardiac output and total peripheral resistance. Cardiac output is controlled by the heart rate, myocardial contractility, preload, and afterload. Vascular resistance (vascular hindrance × viscosity) is under local autoregulation and general neurohumoral control through sympathetic adrenergic innervation and circulating catecholamines. Sympathetic innovation predominates in organs receivingflowin excess of their metabolic demands (skin, splanchnic organs, kidney), while innervation is poor and autoregulation predominates in the brain and heart. The distribution of blood flow depends on the relative resistances of the organ circulations. During stress (hypoxia, low cardiac output), a raise in adrenergic tone and in circulating catecholamines leads to preferential vasoconstriction in highly innervated organs, so that blood flow is directed to the brain and heart. Catecholamines also control the levels of the vasoconstrictors renin, angiotensin II, and vasopressin. These general principles also apply to the neonate.

Cardiovascular changes in the exercising emu

1983 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Grubb ◽  
D. D. Jorgensen ◽  
M. Conner
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Oxygen Content ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Exercise Heart Rate ◽  
Rate Of Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Cardiovascular Variables

Cardiovascular variables were studied as a function of oxygen consumption in the emu, a large, flightless ratite bird well suited to treadmill exercise. At the highest level of exercise, the birds' rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) was approximately 11.4 times the resting level (4.2 ml kg-1 min-1). Cardiac output was linearly related to VO2, increasing 9.5 ml for each 1 ml increase in oxygen consumption. The increase in cardiac output is similar to that in other birds, but appears to be larger than in mammals. The venous oxygen content dropped during exercise, thus increasing the arteriovenous oxygen content difference. At the highest levels of exercise, heart rate showed a 3.9-fold increase over the resting rate (45.8 beats min-1). The mean resting specific stroke volume was 1.5 ml per kg body mass, which is larger than shown by most mammals. However, birds have larger hearts relative to body mass than do mammals, and stroke volume expressed per gram of heart (0.18 ml g-1) is similar to that for mammals. Stroke volume showed a 1.8-fold increase as a result of exercise in the emus, but a change in heart rate plays a greater role in increasing cardiac output during exercise.

In the Loop—Left Ventricular Pressures

2011 ◽  
pp. 42-47
Author(s):  
James R. Munis
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Aortic Valve ◽  
Left Ventricle ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Cardiovascular System ◽  
Aortic Root ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Root Pressure ◽  
The Third

We've already looked at 2 types of pressure that affect physiology (atmospheric and hydrostatic pressure). Now let's consider the third: vascular pressures that result from mechanical events in the cardiovascular system. As you already know, cardiac output can be defined as the product of heart rate times stroke volume. Heart rate is self-explanatory. Stroke volume is determined by 3 factors—preload, afterload, and inotropy—and these determinants are in turn dependent on how the left ventricle handles pressure. In a pressure-volume loop, ‘afterload’ is represented by the pressure at the end of isovolumic contraction—just when the aortic valve opens (because the ventricular pressure is now higher than aortic root pressure). These loops not only are straightforward but are easier to construct just by thinking them through, rather than by memorization.

scholarly journals Development of a Simple ImageJ-Based Method for Dynamic Blood Flow Tracking in Zebrafish Embryos and Its Application in Drug Toxicity Evaluation

Inventions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiorency Santoso ◽  
Bonifasius Putera Sampurna ◽  
Yu-Heng Lai ◽  
Sung-Tzu Liang ◽  
Erwei Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Blood Cell ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Blood Flow Velocity ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Cardiovascular Function ◽  
Zebrafish Embryos

This study aimed to develop a simple and cost-effective method to measure blood flow in zebrafish by using an image-based approach. Three days post fertilization (dpf) zebrafish embryos were mounted with methylcellulose and subjected to video recording for tracking blood flow under an inverted microscope equipped with a high-speed CCD camera. In addition, Hoffman lens was used to enhance the blood cell contrast. The red blood cell movement was tracked by using the TrackMate plug-in in the ImageJ image processing program. Moreover, Stack Difference and Time Series Analyzer plug-in were used to detect dynamic pixel changes over time to calculate the blood flow rate. In addition to blood flow velocity and heart rate, the effect of drug treatments on other cardiovascular function parameters, such as stroke volume and cardiac output remains to be explored. Therefore, by using this method, the potential side effects on the cardiovascular performance of ethyl 3-aminobenzoate methanesulfonate (MS222) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) were evaluated. MS222 is a common anesthetic, while IBMX is a naturally occurring methylxanthine. Compared to normal embryos, MS222- and IBMX-treated embryos had a reduced blood flow velocity by approximately 72% and 58%, respectively. This study showed that MS222 significantly decreased the heart rate, whereas IBMX increased the heart rate. Moreover, it also demonstrated that MS222 treatment reduced 50% of the stroke volume and cardiac output. While IBMX decreased the stroke volume only. The results are in line with previous studies that used expensive instruments and complicated software analysis to assess cardiovascular function. In conclusion, a simple and low-cost method can be used to study blood flow in zebrafish embryos for compound screening. Furthermore, it could provide a precise measurement of clinically relevant cardiac functions, specifically heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output.

Effect of sympathetic blockade on diurnal variation of hemodynamic patterns

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (3) ◽  
pp. R778-R785 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Talan ◽  
B. T. Engel
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Total Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Peripheral Resistance ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Sympathetic Blockade ◽  
Selective Blockade ◽  
Arterial Blood

Heart rate, stroke volume, and intra-arterial blood pressure were monitored continuously in each of four monkeys, 18 consecutive h/day for several weeks. The mean heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and total peripheral resistance were calculated for each minute and reduced to hourly means. After base-line data were collected for approximately 20 days, observation was continued for equal periods of time under conditions of alpha-sympathetic blockade, beta-sympathetic blockade, and double sympathetic blockade. This was achieved by intra-arterial infusion of prazosin, atenolol, or a combination of both in concentration sufficient for at least 75% reduction of response to injection of agonists. The results confirmed previous findings of a diurnal pattern characterized by a fall in cardiac output and a rise in total peripheral resistance throughout the night. This pattern was not eliminated by selective blockade, of alpha- or beta-sympathetic receptors or by double sympathetic blockade; in fact, it was exacerbated by sympathetic blockade, indicating that the sympathetic nervous system attenuates these events. Because these findings indicate that blood volume redistribution is probably not the mechanism mediating the observed effects, we have hypothesized that a diurnal loss in plasma volume may mediate the fall in cardiac output and that the rise in total peripheral resistance reflects a homeostatic regulation of arterial pressure.

scholarly journals Temperature-dependent development of cardiac activity in unrestrained larvae of the minnow Phoxinus phoxinus

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (5) ◽  
pp. R1634-R1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Schönweger ◽  
T. Schwerte ◽  
B. Pelster
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Incubation Period ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Metabolic Activity ◽  
Cardiac Activity ◽  
Swim Bladder ◽  
Phoxinus Phoxinus ◽  
Swim Bladder Inflation

The minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus) was raised up to the stage of swim bladder inflation at temperatures between 10°C and 25°C, and the time of development significantly decreased at higher temperatures. Accordingly, initiation of cardiac activity was observed at day 2 in 25°C animals and at day 4 in 12.5°C animals. Only a minor increase in body mass was observed during the incubation period, and, at the end of the incubation period, animals raised at 25°C did not have a significantly lower body mass compared with animals raised at 15°C. Metabolic activity, determined as the rate of oxygen consumption of a larva, increased from 3.3 to 19.5 nmol/h during development at 15°C and from 5.6 to 47.6 nmol/h during development at 25°C. Heart rate showed a clear correlation to developmental stage as well as to developmental temperature, but at the onset of cardiac activity, diastolic ventricular volume and also stroke volume were higher at the lower temperatures. Furthermore, stroke volume increased with development, except for the group incubated at 12.5°C, in which stroke volume decreased with development. Initial cardiac output showed no correlation to incubation temperature. Although metabolic activity increased severalfold during development from egg to the stage of swim bladder inflation at 15°C and at 25°C, weight-specific cardiac output increased only by ∼40% with proceeding development. At 12.5°C, cardiac output remained almost constant until opening of the swim bladder. The data support the notion that oxygen transport is not the major function of the circulatory system at this stage of development. The changes in heart rate with temperature appear to be due to the intrinsic properties of the pacemaker; there was no indication for a regulated response.

The underwater environment: cardiopulmonary, thermal, and energetic demands

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Pendergast ◽  
C. E. G. Lundgren
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cardiac Output ◽  
Stroke Volume ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Breath Holding ◽  
Peripheral Blood Flow ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Underwater Environment ◽  
Maximal Cardiac Output

Water covers over 75% of the earth, has a wide variety of depths and temperatures, and holds a great deal of the earth's resources. The challenges of the underwater environment are underappreciated and more short term compared with those of space travel. Immersion in water alters the cardio-endocrine-renal axis as there is an immediate translocation of blood to the heart and a slower autotransfusion of fluid from the cells to the vascular compartment. Both of these changes result in an increase in stroke volume and cardiac output. The stretch of the atrium and transient increase in blood pressure cause both endocrine and autonomic changes, which in the short term return plasma volume to control levels and decrease total peripheral resistance and thus regulate blood pressure. The reduced sympathetic nerve activity has effects on arteriolar resistance, resulting in hyperperfusion of some tissues, which for specific tissues is time dependent. The increased central blood volume results in increased pulmonary artery pressure and a decline in vital capacity. The effect of increased hydrostatic pressure due to the depth of submersion does not affect stroke volume; however, a bradycardia results in decreased cardiac output, which is further reduced during breath holding. Hydrostatic compression, however, leads to elastic loading of the chest wall and negative pressure breathing. The depth-dependent increased work of breathing leads to augmented respiratory muscle blood flow. The blood flow is increased to all lung zones with some improvement in the ventilation-perfusion relationship. The cardiac-renal responses are time dependent; however, the increased stroke volume and cardiac output are, during head-out immersion, sustained for at least hours. Changes in water temperature do not affect resting cardiac output; however, maximal cardiac output is reduced, as is peripheral blood flow, which results in reduced maximal exercise performance. In the cold, maximal cardiac output is reduced and skin and muscle are vasoconstricted, resulting in a further reduction in exercise capacity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document