Ventricular Fibrillation and Shortening, Alternans and Afterdepolarizations of Epicardial Monophasic Action Potentials During Coronary Occlusion and Reperfusion

The relationship between the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and repolarization abnormalities of the ischemic and reperfused myocardium is poorly understood. The present study examined the temporal relationship between ischemia- and reperfusion-induced changes in monophasic action potential (MAP) configurations and the occurrence of VF, and assessed the effects of repetition of ischemia. The left anterior descending coronary artery of 32 anesthetized dogs was occluded twice for 5 min, 30 min apart, during constant atrial pacing while recording MAPs from the epicardial ischemic zone. During the first occlusion, shortening of the MAP duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) and an increase in MAP alternans, defined as the maximal difference in APD90 between 2 consecutive beats, were observed. Afterdepolarizations also occurred transiently in 35% of the animals during occlusion and in 29% upon reperfusion. VF occurred in 28% (9/32 of the dogs) during the first sequence, and the incidence was higher in the subgroups with maximal alternans > or =20 ms (p or =30%, and afterdepolarizations. During the second sequence, the incidence of VF was reduced to 9% (3/32, p<0.05), associated with a significant reduction in the MAP changes. Thus, repolarization abnormalities of the ischemic and reperfused myocardium appear to be related to the occurrence of VF. The amelioration of the repolarization abnormalities by repetition of ischemia may be involved in its antifibrillatory effect.