The effect of carbon dioxide upon myocardial contractile performance, blood flow and oxygen consumption.

1. Mongrel dogs were anaesthetized with chloralose, paralysed, ventilated and vagotomized and given a beta-blocking drug, sotalol, in sufficient doses to block the effects of 5 microgram of adrenaline. 2. Changes in inspired CO2 concentration were produced, causing increases of arterial PCO2 up to 120 mmHg. The effects on myocardial blood flow were measured with radioactive microspheres. Coronary sinus and arterial blood was sampled. 3. In the absence of beta-blockade, an increase in arterial PCO2 produced variable effects. In some dogs coronary blood flow increased, while in others there was no change. There was a mean increase in coronary blood flow at arterial PCO2 values above 85 mmHg which was abolished by beta-blockade. 4. In the presence of beta-blockade, an increase of arterial PCO2 produced depression of left ventricular performance, i.e. a fall of maximum rate of rise of left ventricular pressure and a rise of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. 5. In the presence of beta-blockade, there were no consistent changes in myocardial blood flow, left ventricular pressure or cardiac output. 6. In the absence of beta-blockade, coronary arterial minus venous ocygen content was reduced by hypercapnia. In the presence of beta-blockade, the changes were small and not statistically significant. The direct coronary vasodilator effect was therfore negligible. 7. It is concluded that the previously reported hypercapnic vasodilatation was mainly an effect of sympatho-adrenergic stimulation by hypercapnia. 8. In the presence of beta-blockade, coronary sinus PO2 increased markedly, with little change in coronary sinus oxygen content; this was consistent with a shift to the right of the oxy-haemoglobin dissociation curve. Under circumstances of hypercapnia, a rise in coronary sinus (and presumably tissue) PO2 failed to produce vasoconstriction. 9. It is argued that the vasodilator effect of hydrogen ions and the vasoconstrictor effect of oxygen probably cancel one another when the arterial PCO2 is raised.