Catecholamine Infusion versus Intraaortic Counterpulsation at the Initial Phase of Left Intraventricular Balloon Pumping in the Fibrillating Animal Heart

This experimental study compares the effect of catecholamine infusion to the effect of intraaortic counterpulsation (IABP) while initiating intraventricular balloon pumping (IVBP) in the fibrillating heart. In 12 dogs IVBP started immediately after the induction of ventricular fibrillation. Intravenous adrenaline or noradrenaline (at a progressively increasing infusion rate until the systolic aortic blood pressure was 120 mm Hg) was interchanged with IABP. The systolic aortic pressure, the aortic flow and the mean left atrial pressure were, respectively, 120.4 +/- 0.5 mm Hg, 42 +/- 4 ml kg-1 min-1 and 18.7 +/- 1.2 mm Hg (x +/- SEM) ten min after initiating catecholamine infusion and 97 +/- 5 mm Hg (with a 131 +/- 4 mm Hg diastolic wave), 69.6 +/- 4 ml kg-1 min-1 and 16 +/- 1.5 mm Hg ten min after initiating IABP. The difference in aortic flow was significant (p < 0.001). The results indicate that a better aortic flow may be obtained by combining IVBP and IABP than IVBP and vasoconstrictive agents in the fibrillating heart. If IVBP, IABP and catecholamines are combined, both AF and AP may increase.