Chorda tendinea tension

Tension along chordae tendineae (CTT) was measured in absolute terms in situ and recorded throughout cardiac cycles. The transducers were installed without damage to the LV myocardium or its blood supply. CTT contours paralleled LV pressure traces only during isovolumic pressure development; CTT and LVP were sharply distinct or divergent during other periods of the cardiac cycle. The shape or magnitude of CTT could not be predicted from LVP traces. Hemodynamic and other factors influencing the various phases of CTT contours were investigated. Stroke volume, elastic storage capacity of the arterial tree, presence of a pericardial restraint, and coronary artery pressure influenced the magnitude and shape of CTT traces. Two types of heart failure were differentiated by specific CTT contours.