Coronary pressure-flow, pressure-function, and function-myocardial oxygen consumption relations in postischaemic myocardium.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The aim was to study coronary pressure-flow, pressure-myocardial wall motion and myocardial wall motion-myocardial oxygen consumption relations in postischaemic myocardium with prolonged myocardial dysfunction (stunned myocardium) in comparison with normal myocardium.

DESIGN

Regional myocardial wall thickening was measured with ultrasonic crystals, and postischaemic myocardial dysfunction was achieved by occlusion of a carotid-left anterior descending coronary artery bypass (15 min) and reperfusion (30 min). Coronary perfusion pressure was decreased in 10 mm Hg steps by constricting the bypass before and after producing postischaemic myocardial dysfunction. At each constriction step, coronary flow, regional wall thickening, and regional myocardial oxygen consumption in the area perfused by the left anterior descending artery were measured.

EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL

12 anaesthetised open chest mongrel dogs, weighing 12-16 kg, were studied.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

At the basal level, myocardial wall thickening of postischaemic myocardium was depressed compared to normal myocardium, at 18.5(SD 8.9)% v 1.3(7.1)%, p less than 0.01. With coronary stenosis, wall thickening gradually decreased at a coronary pressure below 60 mm Hg in normal myocardium, but remained unchanged until mean coronary pressure was reduced to 50 mm Hg in postischaemic myocardium. Myocardial wall thickening of postischaemic myocardium was always more depressed than normal myocardium. At any level of coronary pressure, coronary flow in postischaemic myocardium was not different from normal myocardium. There was no difference in regional myocardial oxygen consumption between normal and postischaemic myocardium at any level of coronary pressure. However, regional myocardial oxygen consumption in postischaemic myocardium was higher than in normal myocardium performing similar levels of myocardial wall thickening.

CONCLUSION

The coronary pressure-function relation but not the pressure-flow relation changed in postischaemic myocardium after a 15 min coronary occlusion. Regional myocardial oxygen consumption was relatively increased in postischaemic myocardium.