Coronary Flow Distribution and Dynamics During Continuous and Pulsatile Extracorporeal Circulation in the Pig

• Published in: The Annals of thoracic surgery Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. 582 - 590
• Main Authors: Moores, William Y., Hannon, John P., Crum, Jerry, Willford, David, Rodkey, William G., Geasling, Jay W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.12.1977
• Subjects: Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiac Catheterization; Coronary Circulation; Extracorporeal Circulation; Heart Rate; Lactates - blood; Myocardium - metabolism; Oxygen Consumption; Swine; Ventricular Fibrillation - blood; Ventricular Fibrillation - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0003-4975; 1552-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/S0003-4975(10)63462-5

Four extracorporeal perfusion conditions (continuous beating, continous fibrillating, pulsatile beating, and pulsatile fibrillating) were tested for 15 minutes each in pigs. Coronary flow, endocardial-epicardial flow ratio, phasic coronary flow, myocardial oxygen consumption, and myocardial lactate extraction were measured. No significant differences in any of these variables were found between pulsatile and continuous flow states in either fibrillating or beating hearts ( p > 0.05). In both fibrillating conditions, significant elevations of myocardial oxygen comsumption and decreases in endocardial-epicardial flow ratios were found ( p < 0.05). Lactate extraction occurred in all conditions, and phasic coronary flows were similar in both beating conditions. These data suggest caution in the expectation that pulsatile perfusion will reverse the coronary flow and myocardial oxygen consumption changes seen with fibrillation.