Animal model of coronary artery spasm-coronary thrombosis-acute myocardial infarction. A study on hemodynamics, EKG, coronary angiography, biochemistry and pathology.

An animal model of coronary artery spasm-coronary thrombosis-acute myocardial infarction (CAS-CATH-AMI) was obtained by injecting ergonovine(0.22 mg/kg) directly into the left coronary artery (LCA) of 17 dogs under general anesthesia. Various parameters of the experimental group were compared with those of the control group consisting of 5 dogs. The following changes were observed: increased average arterial blood pressure (MAP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), stroke volume (SV, P less than 0.05), PAP (P less than 0.01) transient decreased cardiac output (CO); elevated ST-T in EKG; ventricular arrhythmia in 60% of animals; transient spasm of 50%-75% of LCA in the LCA angiographs; enhancement of platelet aggregation and TXB2 (P less than 0.01) and decline of 6 Keto-PGF1 alpha, SAO2 (P less than 0.05), indicating acute hypoxia and high coagulating pathophysiological changes after CAS. Pathological examination one hour after CAS induction revealed CATH(53%) in addition to CAS induced morphological changes of the CA and myocardium, as well as necrosis of the corresponding sites in its early stage. This study provides a reproducible animal model of CAS-CATH-AMI for research of coronary heart disease and pathomorphological criteria for the diagnosis of CAS. It also shows that CAS may lead to CATH-AMI, therefore, prevention of CATH and AMI is possible.