The Cardiac Output in Patients With Cirrhosis of the Liver and Tense Ascites With Observations on the Effect of Paracentesis

Previous studies in this laboratory (1) have in- dicated that the cardiac output may be elevated in patients with Laennec's cirrhosis. The question arose as to what role distention of the abdomen by ascites might play in determining the level of sys- temic blood flow. In the previously reported pa- tients, elevation of cardiac output did not appear to be related to the presence or degree of ascites, but this aspect of the problem required further investigation.