Distribution of cardiac output in different models of hypertension in the conscious rat.

The distribution of cardiac output was determined by 15 micron radioactive microspheres in all the major organs of spontaneous, DOCA/NaCl and one kidney Goldblatt hypertensive rats and compared to normotensive Wistar rats. Although there were alterations in cardiac output distribution which were characteristic of each model of hypertension significant changes were common to all three were an increased distribution to skeletal muscle with decreases to the lungs, spleen and hepatosplanchnic tissues. The results suggest that alterations in peripheral resistance induced by hypertension are of unequal importance in the different vascular beds with certain vascular resistance changes occurring irrespective of the origin of the hypertension.