Relationship between hemodynamics and cardiac metabolism in the reperfusion period following hypothermic global ischemia.

Ten mongrel dogs were subjected to hypothermic ischemic cardioplegia for two hours followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion to characterize the relationship between hemodynamic parameters during reperfusion and the recovery of high energy store of the post-ischemic left ventricular myocardium. Dogs were anesthetized with intravenous pentobarbital 30 mg/kg, and standard cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted with the flow rate of 80 ml/min/kg and perfusion pressure around 80 mmHg. Ischemic cardioplegia was obtained by cross-clamping of the aorta for 2 hours under 20 degrees C of myocardial temperature. After termination of cardioplegia, the heart was rewarmed by the support of cardiopulmonary bypass with the flow rate of 80 ml/min/kg until the myocardial temperature was reached 36 degrees C. Hemodynamic parameters were measured throughout the experiment and myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP) were measured at the end of experiment. Correlation was significant between myocardial ATP and coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption. However, myocardial creatine phosphate correlated poorly to coronary blood flow, myocardial oxygen consumption and other hemodynamic parameters. These results indicate that the recovery of myocardial high energy store is partly related to coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption, but other parameters are probably involved in the process of early recovery of the myocardium from ischemic cardioplegia.