A study of circulatory dynamics by means of crystal radiation detectors on the anterior thoracic wall.

A description is given of simultaneous tape records from four well-shielded crystal detectors placed on the anterior chest in the projections of the right atrium, pulmonary artery, ventricles, and lung vessels alone. Single intravenous injections of I human serum albumin were made. Cardiac outputs calculated from the observed data compare favorably with those obtained by catherization. Use of the tape recorder with slow playback speeds allows for unique storage, transformation and interpretation of data. Characteristic curves obtained from patients with congenital and valvular heart disease are analyzed.