Dipyridamole-induced decrement of functional recovery of postischemic reperfused myocardium in conscious dogs with well-developed coronary collateral circulation.

The effects of dipyridamole (20 and 40 micrograms/kg/min intravenously) on the time course of functional recovery of myocardium after five 5-minute coronary artery occlusions and four 5-minute reperfusions and a subsequent 5-hour reperfusion period were studied in chronically instrumented, conscious dogs with well-developed coronary collateral circulation. In comparison with vehicle-treated control dogs, those given dipyridamole (20 and 40 micrograms/kg/min, respectively) 15 minutes before and during coronary occlusion had a greater depression of regional segment shortening (38 +/- 7% and 19 +/- 4%, respectively, vs control levels of 69 +/- 10% of preocclusion values) during acute coronary artery occlusion. After a 5-hour reperfusion period, segment shortening returned to preocclusion values in the control group but remained decreased in the dipyridamole groups (87 +/- 4% and 75%, respectively). These results suggest that dipyridamole in a dose-dependent manner exacerbates recovery of contractility of postischemic reperfused myocardium in dogs with well-developed coronary collateral circulation.