Load dependency of end-systolic pressure-volume relations in isolated, ejecting canine hearts.

If characteristic muscle properties such as myocardial viscosity and/or shortening deactivation influence left ventricular ejection in the whole heart, the slope of the left ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume relation should be a function of both the contractile state and the loading mode. Thus, the load dependence of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation was examined using isolated, perfused canine hearts ejecting saline into a hydraulic loading system. The instantaneous left ventricular volume was measured with a plethysmograph. Under constant coronary flow and heart rate, two regression lines for end-systolic pressure-volume relations in two sets of loading modes were obtained: (1) Preload (left ventricular end-diastolic pressure; 4-15 mmHg) changes under fixed afterload impedance (preload changes); (2) Afterload impedance (peripheral resistance; 1.9-9.6 x 10(3) dyn sec cm-5) changes under fixed left ventricular end-diastolic volume (afterload changes). The slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation with afterload changes was steeper than that with preload changes (6.3 +/- 0.7 vs 4.8 +/- 0.6 mmHg/ml, p less than 0.05). Accordingly, under constant coronary flow, the slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation depended on loading conditions within the physiological range of afterload impedance and preload. This finding supports our hypothesis and implies that the slope change is of limited value as a contractile index in the ejecting heart.