Chairmen’s Comments

Abstract

For this session, we defined rapid variations as those where the time scale is measured in minutes, not in hours or days, nor in seconds, for the latter we believe to be relatively unimportant clinically. Some rapid variations, such as the response to a rise in blood pressure when autoregulation is weakened or gone, have been well investigated and explained, as have variations in connexion with periodic breathing. However, there is still no accepted theory as to the cause of plateau waves — nor is there consensus on what a plateau wave looks like, and where the line should be drawn, though everyone will recognize a typical one. At present, the term is used much too loosely. Some controversy could be avoided, and communication could be improved by adhering to the criteria of LUNDBERG.