Reperfusion injury after temporary coronary occlusion

• Published in: The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery Vol. 95; no. 6; pp. 960 - 968
• Main Authors: Vinten-Johansen, J, Johnston, WE, Mills, SA, Faust, KB, Geisinger, KR, DeMasi, RJ, Cordell, AR
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA AATS/WTSA 01.06.1988; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Water - analysis; Cardiology. Vascular system; Coronary Circulation; Coronary Disease - pathology; Coronary Disease - physiopathology; Coronary Disease - therapy; Coronary heart disease; Dogs; Female; Heart; Hemodynamics; Male; Medical sciences; Myocardium - analysis; Myocardium - pathology; Myocardium - ultrastructure; Heart; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Cardiac performance; Acute; Coronary artery; Cardiovascular disease; Electron microscopy; Coronary heart disease; Pathology; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Myocardium; Hemodynamics; Obliteration; Dog
• ISSN: 0022-5223; 1097-685X
• DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5223(19)35661-2

In 24 anesthetized open-chest dogs, we examined the time course of changes in contractile function, diastolic muscle stiffness (sonomicrometry), tissue water content, and ultrastructure after 1 hour of occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and after 2 hours of unmodified reperfusion. One hour of occlusion of the left anterior descending artery replaced active shortening with passive bulging (21.4% +/- 2.9% versus -5.9% +/- 0.9%, p less than 0.05) in the involved segment. There was no increase in either subendocardial water content (78.6% +/- 0.1% versus 79.7% +/- 0.7%) or operative muscle stiffness (2.80 +/- 0.72 versus 2.36 +/- 0.42 mm Hg/mm) after the occlusion period. There were only mild to moderate ultrastructural alterations suggestive of reversible injury. In sharp contrast, reperfusion was associated with a 2.48% increase in subendocardial water content (p less than 0.05), a 42% increase in diastolic muscle stiffness (3.34 +/- 0.42 mm Hg/mm, p less than 0.05), and greater ultrastructural damage. We conclude that myocardial injury is significantly extended with unmodified blood reperfusion after temporary coronary occlusion.