The effects of raising alveolar PCO2 and ventilation separately and together on the sensitivity and setting of the baroreceptor cardiodepressor reflex in man.

1. The effects of changes in ventilation and/or alveolar P(CO2) on the baroreflex control of heart rate have been studied in seven experiments on six young men and women who had been trained to control tidal volume and respiratory frequency at various levels independent of alveolar P(CO2), during hyperoxia.2. Intravenous phenylephrine provoked transient rises of directly measured arterial pressure during which individual systolic pressures (P) were linearly related to the following pulse interval (I). Baroreflex sensitivity was expressed as the slope of the regression of I on P, and reflex setting (I(ref)) as I at a single reference arterial pressure (= mean P for the experiment).3. Voluntary control of breathing had little effect on heart rate and arterial pressure (baroreflex setting), but diminished reflex sensitivity.4. Hypercapnia regularly caused tachycardia at the reference pressure (i.e. baroreflex setting lowered). The response was completely or partly reproduced by change of P(A, CO2) at constant ventilation in four subjects but not in two others; in them change of ventilation at constant P(A, CO2) completely mimicked the effect of free-breathing hypercapnia.5. Values of baroreflex sensitivity were relatively scattered. Hypercapnia caused a fall in baroreflex sensitivity in three subjects whether ventilation was fixed or free to rise. After separating the effect of voluntarily controlling ventilation, ventilation per se was without effect on reflex sensitivity.6. It is concluded that hypercapnia and hyperpnoea have separate effects on the baroreflex, the relative magnitudes of which differ from one subject to another. Baroreflex setting and sensitivity vary independently in response to change of ventilation and of P(A, CO2).