Ballistocardiogram in chronic severe anemia.

Serial ballistocardiograms of 30 patients with chronic severe anemia were studied to assess the cardiovascular state in anemia and after the cure of anemia. The findings in the ballistocardiogram have been compared to those in the electrocardiogram and the roentgenogram. Significance of an abnormal ballistocardiogram, after the cure of anemia is stressed. CARDIOVASCULAR disturbances and electrocardiographic abnormalities in chronic anemia have been extensively reported. The ballistocardiogram in chronic anemia has been reported to show large sys-tolic complexes, minimal respiratory variation , a usually normal wave pattern but transient abnormal patterns when the hemoglobin is rapidly raised, abnormal patterns after relief of anemia in some older subjects known to have heart trouble, increased height of H, L, and N waves, and broad J waves in the presence of congestive heart failure.1-3 There has, however, been no large-scale study. Although the great majority of the alterations are nonspecific in character, ballistocardiog-raphy is believed to be a useful physiologic means of eliciting information about the force of cardiac contraction and ejection of blood in the vessels.4 5 It was thought that it might be of particular value in anemia, where there is no valvular, coronary, or other type of heart disease. The purpose of this paper is to report a study of serial ballistocardiograms on 30 patients with chronic severe anemia.