[Coronary insufficiency due to disturbances in coronary blood flow (author's transl)].

This paper tries to elucidate the mechanism of sudden death and myocardial infarction in the case of arteriosclerosis constricting the lumen of the vessels without obliteration. Two type of coronary arteriosclerosis can be differentiated: 1. The constrictions are limited to main coronary arteries; 2. The constrictions are found in small branches and precapillaries. In group 1 the reduction of blood flow depends on the systemic blood pressure. In group 2 the disturbances in blood distribution cannot by compensated by the rise in blood pressure. These phenomena can be elucidated by Kirchhoff's equations on the flow of liquid through elastic tubes and by comparison with elastic current flow or gas flow in pipeline net. Disturbances in the transport of nutritive substrates result in the non-uniform polarization of heart muscle fibers which leads to arrhythmias and acute insufficiency.