Blood Flow and Peripheral Resistance in Normotensive and Hypertensive Dogs

Peripheral resistance has been found to fall exponentially as cardiac output increases in dogs. A similar curve with a higher peripheral resistance at all levels of cardiac output is observed in hypertensive animals. The measurement, therefore, of peripheral resistance alone, or its changes, to indicate the state of the peripheral vascular bed is of little value unless level of blood flow is held constant or the relationship between blood flow and peripheral resistance have already been determined.