Physiology, Bainbridge Reflex

The Bainbridge reflex is a compensatory reflex resulting in an increase in heart rate following an increase in cardiac preload. Scientist Sir Arthur Bainbridge first demonstrated this reflex in unconscious anesthetized dogs with the monitoring of venous pressure, pulse rate, and arterial pressure following administration of blood or saline. The reflex has become more widely known as the  "atrial reflex," a fundamental principle in the cardiac physiology today. This chapter will discuss, in detail, the physiology of the Bainbridge reflex including the function, the mechanism, and the clinical significance.