1967 Volume 31 Issue 8 Pages 1151-1156
The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the change in digitalis tolerance immediately after extracorporeal circulation with eleven patients undergoing open heart surgery for the correction of congenital or acquired heart diseases who were ranged in age from 4 to 56 years and experimentally with eleven mongrel dogs by means of acetyl strophanthidin tolerance test. The decrease of digitalis tolerance following total body perfusion has been clinically observed in all cases of the prolonged duration of perfusion of longer than one hour within a period of 4 to 7 hours after perfusion and experimentally in all dogs of one hour perfusion within a period of 2 hours after perfusion. Metabolic acidosis after perfusion may primarily be connected with the decreased digitalis tolerance. Of the electrolyte measurement, no consistent change was observed.
