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Ann Thorac Surg 2000;69:1983
© 2000 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Harvey’s experiment on occlusion of the vena cava

^a Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7065, 108 Burnett-Womack Bldg, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA

e-mail: charless{at}med.unc.edu

To the Editor

To relieve acute pulmonary hypertension during beating heart operations, Drs Dagenais and Cartier [1] recommend placing a snare to occlude the inferior vena cava, partially or totally, in patients with low-to-moderate mitral regurgitation or severe left ventricular dysfunction. In his book The Motion of the Heart and Blood, published in 1628, Dr William Harvey [2] describes a similar technique applied to the heart of a live snake, presumably without valvar regurgitation or ventricular dysfunction: "Now, pinching off the vena cava with a forceps or between finger and thumb, the course of blood being intercepted some distance below the heart, you will see that the space between the finger and the heart is drained at once, the blood being emptied by the heart beat. At the same time, the heart becomes much paler even in distention, smaller from lack of blood, and beats more slowly, so that it seems to be dying. Immediately on releasing the vein, the color and size of the heart return to normal."

After numerous observations and experiments in various species, Dr Harvey demonstrated, for the first time in human history, that the heart pumped all the blood from veins to arteries in a circular system. Producing bradycardia by interrupting venous return to the heart was indirect evidence of the pumping function of the heart.

References

1. Dagenais F., Cartier R. Pulmonary hypertension during beating heart coronary surgery. Ann Thorac Surg 1999;68:1094-1095.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Harvey W. Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus, 4th ed. Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 1958:84.

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Roberts, C. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Roberts, C. S. Related Collections Related Article