RRECENT advances in the surgical alteration1 and correction of certain congenital defects of the heart and the great vessels make it imperative that more exact diagnoses of such lesions be made. Intravenous catheterization of the heart has been found to be a most useful aid in ascertaining the condition when such congenital abnormalities are suspected. Forssmann,2 in 1929, first introduced the method by catheterizing his own heart. In 1941, Cournand and Ranges3 emphasized its applicability to the study of certain physiologic changes that occur in various types of heart disease. Blood samples may be obtained from various parts of the venous system, from the right side of the heart and from the pulmonary artery and its branches for estimation of the oxygen content. At the same sites, the blood pressure may be determined with a Hamilton manometer4 or similar apparatus. Other investigators5 have used this method to
CHAPMAN DW, EARLE DM, GUGLE LJ, HUGGINS RA, ZIMDAHL W. INTRAVENOUS CATHETERIZATION OF THE HEART IN SUSPECTED CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE: Report of Seventy-Two Cases. Arch Intern Med (Chic). 1949;84(4):640–659. doi:10.1001/archinte.1949.00230040119008
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