Blood pressure and contractile function of heart ventricles at the early stages of hypertonic process

In rabbits, arterial hypertension was characterized by progressive elevation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The contractile function of the left ventricle augmented, but its potential working capacity decreased. Opposite changes were observed in the right ventricle. It was hypothesized that the compensatory mechanisms in the right ventricle during arterial hypertension are triggered at the very onset of the pathology, while in the left ventricle they develop later. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2005.