Alterations in electrophysiological properties during canine myocardial ischemia--variation with location in the ischemic zone in vivo.

We examined electrophysiological properties of the ischemic myocardium of the canine heart. Multiple bipolar electrodes for stimulation or for recording electrograms were placed on the epicardial surface and at the endocardium of the ventricle. The time course of changes in excitability threshold, in effective refractory period and in local conduction time during ischemia was estimated at the epicardial and endocardial sides of the central ischemic zone, at the epicardial side of the peripheral ischemic zone and at both sides of the normal zone. Soon after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion, a rise of excitability threshold, a lengthening of effective refractory period and a prolongation of conduction time consistently occurred in all portions of the ischemic zone. The degree of changes, however, was not uniform: it was greater at the epicardial side of the central ischemic zone. In most experiments, the changes reached maximum within 10 min after occlusion. Then, altered electrophysiological properties recovered to some extent or stabilized. The results indicate that electrophysiological properties deteriorate momentarily after coronary occlusion but then recover or stabilize, and that their changes during acute ischemia are not uniform in the ischemic region but severer at the central zone and epicardial side.