Contribution of myocardium hydraulic skeleton to left ventricular wall interaction and synergy in dogs

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology 2004-08, Vol.287 (2), p.H896-H904
• Main Authors: Barra, Juan Gabriel, Crottogini, Alberto Jose, Willshaw, Peter, Lascano, Elena Catalina, Pichel, Ricardo Horacio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Coronary Disease - complications; Coronary Disease - physiopathology; Dogs; Hypoxia - physiopathology; Models, Cardiovascular; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardial Ischemia - etiology; Myocardial Ischemia - physiopathology; Myocardium - metabolism; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0363-6135; 1522-1539
• DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00041.2004

Department of Physiological, Pharmacological, and Biochemical Sciences, Favaloro University, C1078AAI Buenos Aires, Argentina Submitted 21 January 2004 ; accepted in final form 12 March 2004 The most premature motion change after coronary occlusion is early diastolic thinning of the ischemic left ventricular (LV) wall, with concomitant thickening of the normoperfused wall. We aimed 1 ) to demonstrate that these early changes are the result of the absence of fluid within the ischemic myocardium (hydraulic skeleton) rather than to cell anoxia and 2 ) to quantitate the contribution of the lack of hydraulic skeleton to left ventricular asynergy of contraction in seven anesthetized dogs submitted to acute, short-lasting circumflex artery (Cx) occlusion (ischemia) and to perfusion of the Cx with an oxygen-free solution (anoxia). We analyzed the time course of regional work index (WI, area of the LV pressure-wall thickness loop) and regional efficiency (defined as the ratio of WI to the maximum possible work). Interwall asynergy was defined as the difference between the regional efficiency of the anterior and posterior walls. After 9–10 s, posterior wall efficiency decreased 37 ± 6% with anoxia and 72 ± 3% with ischemia ( P < 0.025), and interwall asynergy was 0 ± 6% with anoxia and 32 ± 5% with ischemia ( P < 0.05). The contribution of absent hydraulic skeleton to interwall asynergy (calculated as the difference between %asynergy in anoxia and %asynergy in ischemia) was 30 ± 8% ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, the earliest wall motion change observed after acute coronary occlusion, namely ischemic wall thinning concomitant with normoperfused wall thickening during isovolumic relaxation, is the result of the absence of intracoronary fluid. The lack of hydraulic skeleton within the myocardium contributes 30% to interwall asynergy. regional myocardial function; pressure-wall thickness loops; isovolumic relaxation; myocardial ischemia; left ventricular asynergy Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. G. Barra, Dept. of Physiological, Pharmacological, and Biochemical Sciences, Favaloro Univ., Solís 453, C1078AAI Buenos Aires, Argentina (E-mail: jgbarra{at}favaloro.edu.ar ).