Key Points
- To evaluate the ultrastructural integrity and cellular changes of dog myocardium maintained in an improved isolated blood-perfused beating heart preparation using a novel fixation technique.
- Dog hearts were maintained in an isolated blood-perfused beating heart–lung preparation for 2 hours.
- Developed and implemented a specialized fixation technique to preserve myocardial ultrastructure and prevent preparation artefacts.
- Conducted electron microscopic evaluations to compare structural integrity between perfused myocardial tissue and control specimens.
- Perfused and control myocardium demonstrated comparable structural preservation, displaying symmetric myofibrils and aligned band patterns.
- Intercalated discs in perfused myocardium showed prominent vesiculation in undifferentiated regions containing varied osmiophilic structures.
- Similar vesicles were identified near disrupted lipofuscin granules, suggesting that the intercalated disc may serve as an excretory pathway for myocardial cells.
Structured PICO
IInterventionIsolated blood perfused heart preparation kept beating for 2 hours, using a new fixation technique
CComparatorControl myocardium
OOutcomeElectron microscopic ultrastructural findings (morphological preservation and intercalated disc vesiculation)surrogate
The newly designed isolated blood perfused heart preparation preserves ultrastructural integrity, making it a valuable tool for in vitro cardiac studies.