Effect of hydrocortisone on the hemodynamics and serum CK and MBCK enzymes in acute myocardial infarct in dogs.

The effects of hydrocortisone on the hemodynamics and plasma creatine kinase (CK) in dogs with acute myocardial infarction were investigated. Acute myocardial infarction was produced by ligating the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery and the effects on hemodynamics and plasma CK were observed for two hours. Complete coronary ligation produced a decrease in the cardiac index and left ventricular work index following two hours of coronary ligation. Other hemodynamic parameters (systemic and pulmonary arterial pressure, left ventricular pressure, right atrial pressure, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, heart rate, cardiac effort) were essentially unaffected. There was a tendency for an increase in (dp/dt)/IIP but the increase was not significant. In hydrocortisone treated dogs, all the hemodynamic parameters were unaffected except the cardiac index which decreased significantly. Partial coronary ligation produced an increase in the systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance and a decrease in the cardiac index. The other hemodynamic parameters were unaffected. Plasma CK and MBCK increased significantly in dogs with partial or complete ligation of coronary artery. The serum CK was more in partially ligated than in complete coronary ligated dogs. Although hydrocortisone pretreatment decreased the rise of plasma CK it did not change the rise in MBCK observed in coronary ligated dogs without hydrocortisone treatment. These results indicate that hydrocortisone prevents, although not completely, the deleterious effects of ischemia on the plasma CK but has no effect on the increase in plasma MBCK and decrease in the cardiac index.