The main purpose of this review is to describe the functional characteristics,
the reflex effects, and the pathophysiologic implications of the
cardiac vagat C-fiber endings. A common view of Bezold-Jarisch reflex, as
expressed by, e.g., Mountcastle (I 974), is that it is a pharmacologic curiosity
that takes no part in normal cardiovascular control. In contrast, evidence
is presented in this review that the reflex effects elicited from cardiac
C-fibers (i.e., the Bezold-Jarisch reflex) might be of importance both
for normal cardiovascular control and for the cardiovascular control
during several common pathophysiologic conditions such as fainting,
aortic stenosis, myocardial infarction, and asphyxia.