Intracoronary nitroglycerin increased myocardial contractile force in the ischemic left anterior descending artery region by an average of 36% and raised peripheral pressure by 3-12 mmHg in dogs.
Does intracoronary nitroglycerin improve myocardial contractile force in ischemic areas supplied by collaterals in a canine model?
Intracoronary nitroglycerin causes prolonged dilatation of coronary collaterals and enhances myocardial contractile force in ischemic areas, provided the ischemia is limited to the collateral-supplied region.
p-value: p=<0.005
Nitroglycerin (TNG) causes a prolonged dilatation of coronary collaterals. To demonstrate a functional significance of this dilatation we measured the effect of TNG on myocardial contractile force in dogs 2(1/2)-4 wk after the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) had been embolized in closed-chest animals. Development of collaterals was documented by angiography. Via a left thoracotomy the main left coronary artery (LCA) and LAD distal to the embolized plug were cannulated. Coronary flow and perfusion pressure were recorded. Contractile force was measured with gauges sutured to epicardial areas supplied by the left circumflex coronary artery (LCf) and occluded LAD. Coronary perfusion pressure in the LCA was gradually decreased until the contractile force recorded by the LAD gauge diminished while the LCf gauge was unaffected. Under these conditions, with coronary perfusion pressure held constant with the aid of a Starling resistance, TNG (18 mug) injected into the LCA increased peripheral LAD pressure by 3-12 mm Hg and contractile force in the LAD region by 36% (range 20-90%), returning it to near-normal levels, while having minimal effect in the LCf area. These changes persisted for 5 min. When LCf and LAD areas were both ischemic, intracoronary TNG had minimal effect on peripheral LAD pressure and contractile force. Thus, TNG causes prolonged dilatation of coronary collaterals and presumed increased collateral flow with subsequent enhancement of myocardial contractile force in ischemic areas. This effect is seen only when ischemia is limited to an area supplied by the collaterals. When the whole heart is ischemic, collaterals are unresponsive to TNG, suggesting that these collaterals dilate fully when the regions from which they originate become ischemic.
Cohen et al. (1973) studied Myocardial ischemia (n=11). Nitroglycerin vs. Pre-intervention baseline was evaluated on Myocardial contractile force in the ischemic LAD region (p=<0.005). Intracoronary nitroglycerin increased myocardial contractile force in the ischemic left anterior descending artery region by an average of 36% and raised peripheral pressure by 3-12 mmHg in dogs.