Effect of systemic venous pressure on drainage of lymph from thoracic duct

Abstract

In acute experiments on the anesthetized dog, partial or complete occlusion of the left innominate vein resulting in a rise of pressure in the venous territory into which the thoracic duct drains, commensurate with the venous pressure rise seen in congestive heart failure, reduces the flow of lymph in the thoracic duct. This decrease in thoracic duct lymph flow is due, at least partially, to the accumulation of lymph in the lymphatic system and possibly the intercellular spaces. The present acute experiments suggest the possibility that this factor may play a role in the genesis of the systemic edema of chronic congestive heart failure, although only chronic experiments now under way will permit definitive conclusions.