Sinovagal interaction in arterial pressure restoration after 10% hemorrhage

The summation between the carotid sinus baroreceptor reflex system (CS system) and the vagally mediated reflex system (V system) was studied as they restore mean arterial pressure (MAP) after 10% quick hemorrhage in splenectomized conscious dogs chronically instrumented with catheters for pressure measurement and hemorrhage. The experiment was repeated under nerve-intact condition (intact), with cold block of the vagi ([V]), after carotid sinus denervation (CS), and CS plus [V] situations. MAP falls at 1.5 min after the hemorrhage were 7.2 in intact, 24.7 in [V], 36.0 in CS, and 67.6 in CS + [V] mmHg. When we calculated the open-loop gains of CS and V systems assuming a simply additive summation between them a self-contradiction occurred. To avoid this contradiction, it was necessary to assume that CS and V systems interact in a facilitatory manner. Mean open-loop gains calculated under this assumption were 1.64 for the CS system alone, 0.89 for the V system alone, and 6.59 for the interacting component between them. These intriguing results warrant further analysis of the summation between the two reflex systems.