Intracardiac Pressures During Closed-Chest Cardiac Massage

Abstract

During closed-chest cardiac massage, left-atrial and systemic arterial blood pressures are nearly equal. The former falls while the latter rises toward prearrest values with the resumption of effective cardiac activity. The high left-atrial pressures may explain pulmonary edema after prolonged closed-chest cardiac massage. An extremely critical state exists as long as there is no effective cardiac contraction even if a satisfactory systemic arterial blood pressure is maintained by closed-chest cardiac massage.