[Heart failure due to ischemia--the adaptive mechanisms]

Chronic myocardial ischemia is the leading cause of disturbances in myocardial contractility (myocardial infarction) or hemodynamic overload upon the left ventricle. The heart reactions consist in a series of adaptative mechanisms in order to maintain its pump function: Frank-Starling mechanism, myocardial hypertrophy and neurohumoral activation. In heart failure, the cardiac output is maintained by an increase of the preload which enhances the contractility (Frank-Starling law). Myocardial ischemia influences the systolic and diastolic function. The decrease of cardiac output leads to neurohumoral responses which, in the initial stages of cardiac failure are compensatory; along with the progression of the disease, they exert adverse effects. Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system induces high cardiac rates, chronotropic incompetence. Activation of the renin-angiotensin system held to myocardial and vascular hypertrophy, vasoconstriction, fluid retention. Endothelin is the most powerful vasoconstrictor; its plasmatic concentrations correlate with the severity of the disease. Vasodilator mediators released in cardiac failure are the natriuretic peptide, nitric oxide, dopamine, prostacicline, bradikinin.