Recovery of regional contractile function and oxidative metabolism in stunned myocardium induced by 1-hour circumflex coronary artery stenosis in chronically instrumented dogs.

Stunned myocardium produced by 1 hour of critical coronary artery stenosis was evaluated for alteration in regional mechanical function and overall oxidative and fatty acid metabolism by positron emission tomography (PET) in chronically instrumented dogs. Twenty-seven dogs, chronically instrumented for measurements of left ventricular pressure and regional myocardial wall thickening in normal and ischemic zones, were subjected to a 1-hour period of myocardial ischemia produced by graded left circumflex coronary artery stenosis, resulting in minimal residual flow. Mean transmural myocardial flow during 1-hour coronary stenosis decreased to 0.34 +/- 0.04 ml/min per gram in the ischemic zones (normal zone transmural flow, 0.96 +/- 0.10 ml/min per gram). Systolic wall thickening in the ischemic zone was almost completely abolished (-97 +/- 4%). On reperfusion, systolic wall thickening immediately resumed but remained depressed. Progressive recovery was noted with time. At 24 hours, systolic wall thickening was still depressed (-20 +/- 6%, p < 0.01). At 1 week, wall thickening had completely recovered and was no longer significantly different from the control condition. In addition, the absence of necrosis at the site of wall thickness measurements was confirmed at autopsy in all dogs. No abnormalities were found by electron microscopy in four dogs undergoing myocardial biopsies at the time of PET studies. Dynamic PET studies using [1-11C]acetate tracer (performed at 6 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks after reperfusion) and [1-11C]palmitic acid tracer (performed at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks after reperfusion) allowed the computation of regional tissue time-activity curves in different regions of interest at different times during follow-up. Despite full reperfusion, abnormal [1-11C]acetate and [1-11C]palmitic acid kinetics were observed in the posterior segments, previously subjected to ischemia, as evidenced by a significant decrease in the slope of the early 11C clearance curve component. Repeat PET studies revealed progressive normalization of overall oxidative metabolism and fatty acid metabolism, which paralleled the time course of recovery of mechanical function. Thus, myocardial ischemia, produced by 1-hour coronary artery stenosis, followed by full reperfusion is associated with a prolonged period of postischemic mechanical and metabolic dysfunction. This transient reduction in oxygen delivery induced a prolonged impairment in fatty acid beta-oxidation as well as a reduction in overall oxidative metabolism despite full reoxygenation. A similar time course for recovery of function and metabolism was observed.