Mechanical Restitution and Inotropic Reserve of the Rat Heart Following Heterothermal Global Ischemia

Abstract

The efficacy of low temperature on the post-ischemic recovery of the heart activity was studied using the technique of heterothermal irrigation of the ventricles. During one hour lasting no-flow ischemia, the cavity of one ventricle was irrigated with 37°C non-oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit (KH) buffer, the other with 20°C KH. During the reperfusion period, the intraventricular pressures were simultaneously recorded by inserted balloons and compared with the post-ischemic data. Ventricular end diastolic pressure was kept constant for all protocols of study. Control and reperfusion temperature was 34°C. In protocol ‘A’, right ventricle (RV) irrigation temperature was kept at 37°C and the left ventricle (LV) at 20°C. In protocol ‘B’, the temperature gradient was reversed. This technique produced a temperature gradient of 7–10°C between RV and LV.KeywordsLeft VentricleRight VentricleIntraventricular PressureRestitution CurveContractile StrengthThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.