Abstract
This review focuses on the concept of pericardial ‘pressure’, an issue which is critical to understanding the physiology of the pericardium. The quotation marks anticipate our final conclusion — that pericardial constraint cannot be measured by measuring pressure (as defined strictly) and that some of the confusion and misunderstanding of the physiologic role of the pericardium is really a semantic issue. We will survey the observations which contradict the current consensus position — that pericardial pressure is near zero and cannot change acutely [1] and suggest a perspective which agrees more closely with experimental and clinical observations.
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Tyberg, J.V., Smith, E.R. (1987). On the interaction between the pericardium and the heart. In: Ter Keurs, H.E.D.J., Tyberg, J.V. (eds) Mechanics of the Circulation. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 69. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3311-8_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3311-8_17
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