Increased left ventricular pressure attenuates the baroreflex in unanesthetized dogs.

To determine whether stimulation of left ventricular mechanoreceptors alters the baroreflex control of heart rate (HR), dogs were instrumented with a vascular occluder around the ascending aorta and appropriate instrumentation for the recording of left ventricular pressure (LVP), aortic pressure, left atrial pressure, HR, and left ventricular dP/dt. Baroreflex sensitivity (pulse interval or HR vs. aortic systolic pressure linear-regression slopes to infusions of phenylephrine or nitroprusside) was determined in the conscious state a minimum of 7 days postoperatively. After control responses were determined with both phenylephrine and nitroprusside, the experiment was repeated during inflation of the ascending aortic occluder so as to significantly raise left ventricle systolic pressure from 127.9 +/- 8.4 to 178.5 +/- 11.3 mmHg (P less than 0.01) and left ventricle end-diastolic pressure from 3.5 +/- 0.7 to 8.9 +/- 1.0 mmHg (P less than 0.01). There were no changes in mean arterial blood pressure, pulse pressure, or HR during elevation of LVP. The baroreflex sensitivity was reduced only during the infusion of nitroprusside from a control of 11.03 +/- 1.9 to 4.80 +/- 1.2 ms/mmHg (P less than 0.01) for the pulse interval relationship and from -2.51 +/- 0.53 to -1.14 +/- 0.32 beats . min-1 . mmHg-1 (P less than 0.05) for the HR relationship. Cholinergic blockade with atropine abolished the depression in the baroreflex sensitivity during nitroprusside infusion when LVP was increased. beta 1-Adrenergic blockade with metoprolol did not significantly reduce the baroreflex sensitivity during increased LVP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)