THE OXYGEN SUPPLY OF THE LIVER

¹ The Medical Unit, University College Hospital Medical School, London, and The Department of Physiology, University of Edinburgh

1. In the cat the liver obtains about two-thirds of its oxygen from the portal vein under normal conditions of blood-pressure. Obstruction of the portal vein to a lobe causes central degeneration in the lobules.

2. When the blood-pressure is lowered by hæmorrhage and shock, the oxygen content of the portal venous blood is proportionately diminished, and the liver becomes more and more dependent on the hepatic artery for its oxygen.

3. In the rabbit the liver is almost entirely dependent on the hepatic artery for its oxygen, and gets only an insignificant amount from the portal blood.

4. Irritation of the hepatic nerves by a ligature may cause a temporary diminution of the flow through the liver by causing vasoconstriction of the portal venules within the liver. This effect, however, is so transient that it does not play any significant part in determining the liver degeneration which results from ligature of the hepatic artery.

5. Temporary occlusion of the hepatic artery does not lead to reactive hyperæmia in the liver.

The expenses of this Research have been partly defrayed by a grant from the Medical Research Council.