Isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to massive myocardial infarction. The pathophysiological changes were similar to those of normotensive rats but the spontaneously hypertensive rats developed congestive heart failure during myocardial repair rather than during the necrosis phase and survived in superior numbers. Blood pressure fell despite maximally increased corticosterone levels. Atrial and ventricular thromboses and left ventricular aneurysm formation were frequent.