Effect of acute cardiac tamponade on red cell volume, total plasma protein and plasma volume.

Acute heart failure was produced by cardiac tamponade in unsplenectomized and splencctomized dogs. The results indicate that splenic contraction was entirely responsible for the rise in hematocrit observed following tamponade in the unsplenectomized dogs. A fall in the hematocrit values of the splencctomized dogs and a reduction in total plasma proteins of both groups indicates an increase in plasma volume following tamponade. There was no evidence of sequestration of red cells.