In vitro contractility of the hypertrophied right ventricle of rats with pulmonary hypertension due to confinement in "hypoxic cages".

Four weeks' confinement of rats in individual airtight cages with walls of defined permeability for respiratory gases induced hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. Parameters of isometric contractility of strips of hypertrophied right myocardium did not show significant changes when compared with the parameters of the inotropic state of slices of normal right ventricle.