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Biomedical subjects

H F Downey

Publications and source records attributed to H F Downey.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Regional hemodynamic responses to nicotine in conscious and anesthetized dogs: comparative effects of pentobarbital and chloralose.

This study was conducted in 12 dogs to evaluate regional hemodynamic responses during intravenous infusion of nicotine (36 micrograms/kg/min) in the conscious state and compare them with those in the same dogs following either pentobarbital (n = 6) or chloralose anesthesia (n = 6). Values for regional blood flow were obtained with 15-microns radioactive microspheres and used to calculate regional vascular conductance. In the conscious state, nicotine increased aortic pressure (+70%) and caused hyperventilation that reduced arterial PCO2 (-44%). These systemic effects were associated with decreases in vascular conductance in the renal cortex (-48%), pancreas (-81%), duodenum (-58%), and cerebral cortex (-55%), whereas no significant change in vascular conductance was evident in spleen, liver, or myocardium. Pentobarbital anesthesia blunted the increases in aortic pressure and respiratory activity and the reductions in vascular conductance in the renal cortex, pancreas, duodenum, and cerebral cortex during nicotine infusion. In contrast, chloralose anesthesia accentuated the increase in aortic pressure and the decrease in vascular conductance in the renal cortex during nicotine infusion, while it converted no change in vascular conductance in the spleen into a decrease and no change in vascular conductance in the myocardium into an increase. Chloralose anesthesia blunted nicotine-induced hyperventilation. These findings demonstrate that general anesthetic agents may have markedly different effects on cardiovascular reflex pathways. They emphasize the importance of considering the particular characteristics of the anesthetic agent used in interpreting results from studies of cardiovascular pharmacology and physiology in anesthetized animals.

Animals↗

Regression and recovery of well-developed coronary collateral function in canine hearts after aorta-coronary bypass.

After restoration of antegrade blood flow by coronary artery bypass grafting to a region of myocardium supplied by well-developed collateral vessels, there is regression of collateral supply to that region. There is controversy as to how rapidly this regression occurs, how soon collateral flow might return after an acute occlusion of the bypass graft, and how effective pharmacologic agents such as nitroglycerin might be in accelerating this return. To investigate this problem, 14 canine hearts were collateralized by Ameroid occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Regression and recovery of well-developed collateral function were studied after opening and closing an aorta-coronary bypass. Before bypass, peripheral coronary pressure was 82 +/- 2 mm Hg, retrograde flow 63 +/- 7 ml/min, collateral flow 21 +/- 2 ml/min, and collateral resistance 0.96 +/- 0.13 mm Hg/ml/min. One hundred minutes of bypass perfusion significantly decreased peripheral coronary pressure by 27%, retrograde flow by 52%, and collateral flow by 42%, and significantly increased collateral resistance by 319%. When the bypass was acutely occluded for 30 minutes, collateral resistance decreased spontaneously by 37%. When intracoronary nitroglycerin was administered for 5 minutes immediately after bypass occlusion, collateral resistance rapidly decreased by 72%, but subsequent collateral regression was not alleviated. Increased flow through regressed collateral vessels during retrograde flow diversion was associated with a decrease in collateral resistance. Results demonstrate rapid but not instantaneous regression and recovery of mature collateral function in response to requirements of collateral-dependent myocardium. Regressed collateral vessels can be dilated by nitroglycerin. Flow-dependent changes in collateral vascular tone appear to be responsible for early regression and recovery of collateral function.

Animals↗

Adenosine deaminase attenuates canine coronary vasodilatation during regional non-ischaemic myocardial hypoxia.

To test the hypothesis that adenosine contributes to the coronary hyperaemia produced by regional non-ischaemic myocardial hypoxia coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen extraction and consumption were continuously monitored in 21 anaesthetised open chest dogs under the following conditions: control 1--postinstrumentation, steady state control; hypoxia 1--3-5 min of regional (LAD) hypoxaemia (partial pressure of oxygen, PO2, 21.4(2.0) mmHg (3.1(0.2) kPa), coronary arterial oxygen content, CaO2, 3.9(0.4) ml.100 ml-1 (39(4) ml.litre-1): control 2--repeat steady state control; and hypoxia 2--3-5 min repeat regional hypoxaemia (PO2 18.9(2.4) mmHg (2.5(0.3) kPa); CaO2 3.6(0.6) ml.100 ml-1 (36(6) ml.litre-1) blood). Left anterior descending artery perfusion pressure was held constant for all conditions. Control 2 and hypoxia 2 were performed in the presence of locally infused adenosine deaminase (n = 16) or saline vehicle (n = 5). The 16 dogs given adenosine deaminase were further subdivided into those perfused with blood deoxygenated by a donor canine lung (group 1, n = 11) and those perfused with blood from a paediatric oxygenator (group 2, n = 5). Systemic haemodynamics, heart rate, and coronary arterial PO2 and O2 contents were similar during the two control periods and during the two exposures to hypoxia in all three groups. Left anterior descending artery blood flow increased by approximately 400% (p less than 0.05) in all three groups during the first exposure to hypoxia. Myocardial oxygen consumption was unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine↗

Dominant role of circulating catecholamines in the myocardial contractile response to intravenous nicotine.

Experiments were conducted in anesthetized dogs to determine the mechanism primarily responsible for the increase in myocardial contractile function during intravenous infusion of nicotine. Myocardial function was assessed regionally by measuring segment shortening using ultrasonic dimension gauges. The role of cardiac neural stimulation in the absence of direct effects of nicotine and other circulating factors was evaluated by perfusing a region of left ventricular myocardium with blood from a reservoir during systemic nicotine infusion. Segment shortening increased from 11 to 19% in normally perfused myocardium but deteriorated to nearly 0% in reservoir-perfused myocardium. To evaluate direct effects of nicotine on cardiac function, nicotine was infused directly into a perfused coronary artery. An intracoronary concentration of nicotine equivalent to that caused by intravenous administration (0.69 +/- 0.08 micrograms/ml plasma) had no effect on myocardial contractile function. An intracoronary nicotine concentration of 5 micrograms/ml was required to directly increase contractile function to approximately the same extent observed during intravenous nicotine. To evaluate the role of circulating catecholamines in the myocardial response to intravenous nicotine, observations were made before and after bilateral adrenalectomy. Adrenalectomy markedly attenuated the pressor response to intravenous nicotine and abolished the positive cardiac inotropic response. We conclude that the adrenal release of catecholamines is primarily responsible for increased myocardial contractile function during intravenous nicotine.

Adrenalectomy↗

Adenosine deaminase attenuates norepinephrine-induced coronary functional hyperemia.

Responses to norepinephrine (NE) before and after treatment with adenosine deaminase (ADA) were examined in anesthetized dogs. In four dogs repeatable changes in coronary blood flow, myocardial oxygen extraction and consumption, left ventricular +dP/dtmax, and heart rate (HR) were demonstrated during two successive intracoronary infusions of 0.13 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 NE. In eight dogs, the NE-induced hyperemia was decreased from +150 to +67%, the change in myocardial oxygen consumption (MVo2) was attenuated from +177 to +101% by ADA, and the increase in HR was reduced from +28 to +16%. In six dogs, the increase in HR caused by NE before ADA was maintained after ADA by atrial pacing. The NE-induced hyperemia and the increase in MVo2 were again decreased by ADA. Similar results were observed in 12 other dogs with hearts paced at a constant, elevated rate during control as well as during both infusions of NE. In all groups, the O2 extraction response to increased MVo2 increased and the flow response decreased after ADA. In six dogs nitroprusside was infused during NE after ADA. When coronary flow was restored to the same level observed before deaminase, MVo2 was not diminished. These results support a role for adenosine in the coronary functional hyperemia accompanying NE activation of the canine myocardium.

Adenosine↗

Transmural variation in autoregulation of right ventricular blood flow.

We examined transmurally the right coronary autoregulatory flow response to varied perfusion pressures in 11 anesthetized, open-chest dogs. Right coronary artery flow was measured electromagnetically, and its transmural distribution was defined with 15-micron radioactive microspheres. Heart rate, mean aortic blood pressure, right ventricular systolic pressure, end-diastolic pressure, and dP/dtmax were constant. At 100 mm Hg, subepicardial flow averaged 0.48 +/- 0.04 ml/min/g, and subendocardial flow averaged 0.56 +/- 0.05 ml/min/g. In contrast to the left coronary circulation, right coronary hypotension did not cause preferential subendocardial ischemia. As right coronary perfusion pressure was decreased from 100 to 40 mm Hg in five dogs, subepicardial and subendocardial flows were reduced similarly by 35-36%. As right coronary perfusion pressure was elevated from 100 to 150 mm Hg in six dogs, right ventricular subepicardial blood flow increased by 31%, whereas subendocardial blood flow increased by 70%. Right ventricular subendocardial-to-subepicardial flow ratios averaged 1.15-1.20 for perfusion pressures of 40 to 120 mm Hg, and they increased to 1.36 +/- 0.05 at 150 mm Hg. Right coronary artery autoregulatory closed-loop gain averaged 0.47 +/- 0.06 between 70 and 100 mm Hg and was greater than zero from 40 to 120 mm Hg. Between 120 and 150 mm Hg, gain fell to -0.15 +/- 0.10. Regional gain varied from 0.59 +/- 0.10 to 0.44 +/- 0.08 in subepicardium as pressure was decreased from 100 to 40 mm Hg. Subendocardial gains were similar to subepicardial gains over this pressure range.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Peripheral embolization provides evidence for microvascular collaterals in hearts with chronic coronary artery occlusion.

Macroscopic collateral vessels are widely regarded as the primary source of blood flow to collateral-dependent myocardium. Microscopic coronary collateral vessels have also been described, but their functional significance is controversial. Experiments were conducted in 18 anesthetized dogs with chronic coronary artery occlusions. Indices of collateral function demonstrated that all hearts were well-collateralized. The previously occluded coronary artery was cannulated distal to the obstruction for measuring retrograde flow before and after injection of either 13 microns or 84 microns emboli. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were not altered by coronary embolization. Embolization with 13 micron spheres caused retrograde flow to increase by 43% (n = 11), whereas embolization with 84 micron spheres had no effect on retrograde flow (n = 7). Retrograde flow dislodged occlusive 84 micron spheres, since these spheres were found in the retrograde flow, and since antegrade flow increased by 250% after retrograde flow diversion. These findings demonstrate that collateral vessels less than 84 micron diameter contribute significantly to perfusion of chronically collateral-dependent myocardium.

Animals↗

Regional myocardial blood flow during cardiac tamponade in hearts with chronic coronary artery occlusion.

The effects of increased pericardial pressure on blood flow to collateral dependent and normal myocardium were investigated and the mechanisms responsible for these effects evaluated in 10 anaesthetised dogs after collateral inducement by gradual occlusion of a coronary artery. Regional myocardial blood flows were measured with radioactive microspheres during control conditions, mild tamponade, severe tamponade, and severe tamponade with aortic blood pressure held at the control value by blood volume expansion. Mild tamponade increased heart rate by 10% and decreased aortic blood pressure by 15%. Left atrial and central venous blood pressures were moderately increased, and indices of cardiac function were reduced. Blood flow to collateral dependent and normally perfused myocardium was not significantly altered, but the endocardial to epicardial flow ratio was significantly decreased in collateral dependent myocardium. Severe tamponade decreased aortic blood pressure by 45% and cardiac index by 62%. Left atrial and central venous blood pressures were appreciably increased and cardiac function indices considerably depressed. Blood flow to collateral dependent and normally perfused myocardium was decreased similarly (by 54-57%), but the endocardial to epicardial flow ratio was decreased by a greater degree in collateral dependent myocardium. During severe tamponade at control aortic blood pressure, left atrial and central venous blood pressures were further increased, but blood flow to collateral dependent and normally perfused myocardium returned to within 84% of control and endocardial to epicardial flow ratios were normal. Total peripheral vascular resistance increased during severe tamponade, but coronary vascular resistance remained constant. Thus blood flow to collateral dependent and normally perfused myocardium varied according to net coronary perfusion pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Mechanism of attenuated pressure-flow autoregulation in right coronary circulation of dogs.

Right coronary autoregulation was assessed in 14 open-chest, anesthetized dogs. In Group 1 (n = 5), the left common and right coronary arteries were cannulated and perfused independently. As coronary perfusion pressures varied simultaneously between 70 and 120 mm Hg, right coronary blood flow changed by 48%, whereas left coronary flow changed by 13%. In this pressure range, the autoregulatory closed-loop gain of the right coronary circulation averaged 0.37 +/- 0.01, reflecting a modest autoregulatory capability but significantly less than that of the left coronary circulation, 0.78 +/- 0.08. In Group 2 (n = 9), only the right coronary artery was perfused, and right coronary venous blood was collected for determining arteriovenous oxygen extraction. Autoregulatory gain was similar to that of Group 1, indicating that collateral flow associated with intercoronary pressure gradients does not mask right coronary autoregulation. Right ventricular myocardial oxygen consumption varied directly with perfusion pressure, ranging from 7.1 +/- 1.0 to 2.9 +/- 0.8 ml O2/min/100 g as pressure was reduced from 160 to 40 mm Hg. Thus, right coronary autoregulation is masked by an opposing change in oxygen demand. When right ventricular oxygen consumption was altered by pacing, a linear flow-oxygen consumption relationship was observed (8.2 +/- 0.4 ml/min/100 g per ml O2/min/100 g). Subtraction of flows associated with pressure-induced changes in metabolism revealed a potential autoregulatory capability of the right coronary circulation similar to that manifested by the left coronary circulation.

Animals↗

Blood flow to acutely ischaemic myocardium during pericardial tamponade: dominant influence of aortic blood pressure.

The effect of increased pericardial pressure on blood flow to acutely ischaemic and normal myocardium was investigated and the mechanisms responsible for this effect evaluated in eight open chest anaesthetised dogs. After coronary artery occlusion regional myocardial blood flows were estimated from the tissue content of radioactive microspheres administered systemically during control conditions, mild tamponade (pericardial pressure 8.4(1.0) mmHg), severe tamponade (pericardial pressure 13.3(1.4) mmHg), and severe tamponade (pericardial pressure 13.5(1.6) mmHg) with aortic blood pressure held constant by blood volume expansion. Mild tamponade decreased aortic blood flow by 20% and aortic pressure by 90%. Right and left atrial blood pressures were moderately increased. Blood flow to ischaemic and normal myocardium was not significantly altered. Severe tamponade decreased aortic blood flow by 50% and aortic pressure by 35%. Heart rate increased by 18%, and right and left atrial pressures were appreciably increased. Blood flow to ischaemic and normal myocardium decreased in proportion to the decrease in aortic pressure, but the transmural distribution of flow in ischaemic myocardium was not altered. During severe tamponade with constant aortic pressure, right and left atrial blood pressures were further increased, but blood flow to ischaemic and normal myocardium was similar to that observed under pre-tamponade control conditions. These results show that blood flow to acutely ischaemic myocardium during tamponade is determined primarily by aortic pressure.

Animals↗

Adenosine deaminase attenuates canine coronary vasodilation during systemic hypoxia.

The hypothesis that adenosine mediates the coronary vasodilatory response to hypoxia was tested by determining if intracoronary infusion of the adenosine degrading enzyme, adenosine deaminase (ADA), would attenuate this response. Efficacy of ADA was also evaluated by examining its effect on the coronary responses to exogenous adenosine and to 20-s myocardial ischemia. Experiments were conducted in 14 anesthetized, open-chest dogs ventilated 3-5 min with 3% O2-5% CO2-92% N2 to induce systemic hypoxia. Under control, pre-ADA conditions, hypoxia (arterial PO2 19 +/- 2 mmHg) caused left anterior descending (LAD) coronary blood flow to increase from 100 +/- 12 to 382 +/- 47 ml X min-1 X 100 g-1 (+282%). After infusion of ADA (5 U X kg-1 X min-1 for 8-10 min) into the LAD, equally severe hypoxia (arterial PO2 18 +/- 3 mmHg) caused a significantly smaller increase in LAD flow, 79 +/- 9 to 234 +/- 41 ml X min-1 X 100 g-1 (+195%). Oxygen consumption in the LAD perfusion field was unchanged by hypoxia before ADA but fell significantly during hypoxia after ADA. ADA also attenuated significantly the coronary vasodilatory response to exogenous adenosine and to 20-s ischemia. The results of this investigation demonstrate a significant role of adenosine in the coronary vasodilatory response to systemic hypoxia.

Adenosine↗

Effect of controlled ventilation on renal and splanchnic blood flows during nicotine.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of respiratory condition [free breathing (FB) vs. controlled ventilation (CV)] and of anesthetic [pentobarbital (PA) vs. chloralose (CA)] on nicotine-induced vasomotor responses in the renal cortex and splanchnic beds. Nicotine (36 micrograms . kg-1 . min-1 iv) was infused in four groups of dogs: group I, PA and CV; group II, PA and FB; group III, CA and CV; group IV, CA and FB. Regional vascular conductances (VC) were calculated from regional blood flows measured with 15-microns radioactive microspheres. In group I, VC fell in renal cortex (-22%) and pancreas (-52%), increased in liver (hepatic arterial bed +130%), and did not change significantly in duodenum and spleen. In group III, VC fell to a greater extent in renal cortex, pancreas, duodenum, and spleen than in group I; VC in hepatic arterial bed did not change. In FB dogs (groups II and IV), nicotine caused marked hyperventilation, but decreases in VC in renal cortex, pancreas, and duodenum were similar to those in CV dogs. Results indicate that during intravenous infusion of nicotine 1) hyperventilation does not attenuate or reverse vasoconstriction in renal cortex, pancreas, or duodenum under either PA or CA, although it does in spleen under CA; 2) vasodilator mechanisms predominate over vasoconstrictor mechanisms in the hepatic arterial bed; and 3) vasoconstrictor responses in renal cortex, pancreas, duodenum, spleen, and liver are more pronounced under CA than under PA.

Anesthesia, General↗

Persistent coronary vasodilation during long-term, supramaximal doses of adenosine.

Active and reactive hyperemias have been observed in the skeletal muscle circulation tachyphylactic to exogenous adenosine following 3-h supramaximal doses of the vasodilator. These findings failed to support a need for adenosine in metabolic control of skeletal muscle blood flow. The present study was conducted to determine if the coronary circulation also develops tachyphylaxis to adenosine while remaining sensitive to other metabolically linked vasodilator mechanisms. Experiments were conducted in eight pentobarbital-anesthetized, open-chest dogs whose blood flow in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was measured electromagnetically during 3-h infusion of adenosine into the LAD. Measurements of regional myocardial blood flow (radioactive microspheres), myocardial O2 consumption (Fick principle), and percent segment shortening (ultrasonic crystals) were also obtained. Adenosine was infused into the LAD at a rate of 27.0-72.0 mumol/min, depending on blood flow rate. Calculated concentration of adenosine in LAD blood averaged 0.484 +/- 0.111 mumol/ml, which was well in excess of that required for maximal coronary vasodilation. LAD blood flow averaged 21.5 +/- 2.2 ml/min during the preadenosine control condition. LAD blood flow after 3 h adenosine (123.3 +/- 23.0 ml/min) was not significantly different from that after 1-3 min adenosine (105.8 +/- 17.9 ml/min). There was no significant transmural variation in LAD blood flow during adenosine infusion. Adenosine had no significant effect on myocardial O2 consumption or percent segment shortening. Our results demonstrate persistent transmural vasodilation in the canine coronary circulation during long-term, supramaximal doses of adenosine and are consistent with a role for endogenous adenosine in maintenance of coronary vasodilation during sustained elevations in myocardial energy demands.

Adenosine↗

Asynchronous transmural perfusion during coronary reactive hyperaemia.

Dynamic variation in the transmural distribution of myocardial blood flow was studied in 36 anaesthetised open-chest dogs during the course of the reactive hyperaemia following a 90 s occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Myocardial blood flow was estimated from tissue uptake of radioactive microspheres, 9 to 10 micrometers in diameter. Endo/epi flow ratios indicated asynchronous reactive hyperaemic responses across the free wall of the left ventricle; flow was preferentially to subepicardium during the initial (pre-peak) phase, whereas flow was preferentially to subendocardium during the prolonged recovery phase. The mean of endo/epi flow ratios obtained during the peak plateau of coronary artery reactive hyperaemia indicated essentially uniform transmural distribution. However, further analysis indicated that this was result of ratios less than 1 early in the peak plateau and ratios greater than 1 late in the peak plateau. Reversal of the endo/epi flow ratios due to regionally asynchronous maximum flows is responsible for the prolonged plateau at peak flow observed in measurements of coronary artery reactive hyperaemia. Transmural asynchrony of peak reactive hyperaemic flow may also account for underestimates in vasodilator capability of ischaemia based on measurements of either coronary artery or myocardial blood flow.

Animals↗

Nonischemic myocardial hypoxia: coronary dilation without increased tissue adenosine.

Experiments were performed in 23 open-chest, anesthetized dogs to evaluate 1) the extent of coronary vasodilation during nonischemic hypoxia and 2) whether this dilation is associated with changes in cardiac concentrations of adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine. Three minutes of nonischemic myocardial hypoxia caused by selective perfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) with hypoxic blood (PO2 = 11.7 Torr) increased coronary flow 623%, an increase that was not significantly different from that at the peak hyperemic response following 3 min of ischemic hypoxia secondary to LAD occlusion (+534%). Concentrations for adenosine and inosine (nmol/g) in myocardium sampled during nonischemic hypoxia [0.8 +/- 0.2 (SE) and 0.8 +/- 0.2, respectively] were significantly less than values during control conditions (1.7 +/- 0.3 and 1.4 +/- 0.2). Hypoxanthine concentrations did not differ for nonischemic hypoxia and control conditions. During ischemic hypoxia concentrations for adenosine (31.2 +/- 4.9), inosine (91.0 +/- 13.6), and hypoxanthine (44.0 +/- 15.3) were considerably greater than values during nonischemic hypoxia and during control conditions. The results indicate that nonischemic hypoxia induced pronounced coronary vasodilation similar to that during ischemic hypoxia, with reduced rather than with increased tissue concentrations of adenosine and inosine. These findings suggest that reduced myocardial oxygen tension may cause dilation of coronary resistance vessels by a direct relaxant effect on arteriolar vascular smooth muscle.

Adenosine↗

Regional renal and splanchnic blood flows during nicotine infusion: effects of alpha and of combined alpha and beta adrenergic blockade.

Renal (cortex and medulla) and splanchnic (duodenum, liver, pancreas and spleen) blood flows were measured with 25-mu radioactive microspheres in anesthetized, open-chest dogs. The effects of nicotine (36 micrograms/kg/min i.v.) before and after selective alpha adrenergic blockade (phenoxybenzamine, 1 mg/kg i.v.) and before and after combined alpha and beta adrenergic blockade (phenoxybenzamine, 1 mg/kg i.v. and propranolol, 1 mg/kg i.v.) were evaluated. Before adrenergic blockade, nicotine increased arterial pressure (+82%) but had heterogeneous directional effects on regional blood flows: pancreas (-64%), duodenum (-33%), kidney cortex (-31%), kidney medulla (-17%), liver (+5%) and spleen (+71%). Vascular conductance was reduced in kidney cortex (-61%), kidney medulla (-57%), duodenum (-59%), liver (-46%) and pancreas (-79%) and was not altered in spleen. Selective alpha adrenergic blockade prevented the hypertensive response to nicotine, but heterogeneous changes in regional flows persisted: pancreas (-40%), spleen (-40%), kidney medulla (-35%), kidney cortex (-31%), liver (+50%) and duodenum (+74%). After combined alpha and beta adrenergic blockade, nicotine increased systemic arterial pressure (+75%) and decreased vascular conductance in all tissues. Results indicate: 1) a heterogeneous influence of nicotine in renal and splanchnic circulations associated with regional differences in activities of alpha and beta adrenergic receptors and 2) a potent nonadrenergic vasoconstrictor response in these circulations to nicotine after blockade of alpha and beta adrenergic receptors.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗

Evaluation of noncoronary sources of left ventricular perfusion to intercoronary collateral-dependent myocardium due to chronic major vessel occlusion: absent contribution of luminal and extracardiac channels.

Liminal contribution to perfusion of collateral-dependent left ventricular (LV) myocardium was evaluated in six dogs. A portion of LV free wall was rendered collateral-dependent by gradual occlusion of left circumflex artery with Ameroid constrictor. Eight to 10 weeks after implantation of constrictor, measurements of LV myocardial flow were made by left atrial injections of 9-10 micro radioactive microspheres. To measure total collateral flow, microspheres were injected under control conditions, and to measure luminal contribution to collateral flow, microspheres were injected after ligation of right coronary artery during extracorporeal perfusion of left common coronary artery (LCCA) with microsphere-free arterial blood, and during stoppage of flow through LCCA. Under control conditions, myocardial blood flow in collateral-dependent region, 1.01 +/- 0.31 ml/min/gm, was not significantly different from that in normal region, 1.06 +/- 0.32 ml/min/gm. Flow from luminal collateral vessels was negligible (less than 0.005 ml/min/gm) in both collateral-dependent and normal myocardium, and was not affected by stoppage of flow through LCCA. These results indicate that luminal collateral vessels, as well as collateral vessels originating from other noncoronary sources, do not contribute significantly to perfusion of normal or collateral-dependent LV myocardium.

Animals↗