Myocardial infarction in closed-chest dogs: a simplified method for production

Due to our need, we sought a simple method to reliably create myocardial infarction in the closed-chest dog. Previous techniques were dangerous, time consuming, unreliable, and costly. Here we described a new coaxial catheter method by which occluded catheter plugs are embolized selectively to branches of the left coronary artery in closed chest dogs anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (10 mg/lb). Infarcts varying in size from 3 to 27 g, 2-27% of the left ventricle, were reliably created in dogs weighing 26-70 lb. Complications were rare with only a single fatality in the last 15 procedures. The method proved safe, simple, quick, versatile, reproducible, and inexpensive.