The Immediate Effects of Ligation of the Hepatic Artery on Liver Hemodynamics and Liver Function in the Cat

Cats in thet postabsorptive state and anesthetized with chloralose where used for the experiments. In 7 out of 8 expts. ligation of the hepatic artery caused no change in the hepatic elimination rate of ethanol, the secretion rate of bile and Indocyanine Green (IGC), the hepatic oxygen consumption or the output of glucose and lactate, whereas a small decrease in hepatic ketone production was noticed. Ligation caused a 16 per cent decrease in ICG‐clearance and a 60 per cent increase in the extraction ratio of ICG, which can be explained by the reduction in total liver blood flow. In one experiment in which the initial hepatic oxygen consumption was relatively high ligation caused a fall in hepatic oxygen consumption with marked changes in liver function as a consequence. It is concluded that the main function of the hepatic artery is to supply the liver as a whole with oxygen whereas no specific functions of the artery were demonstrable.