Rapid ventricular pacing in pigs: an experimental model of congestive heart failure

To develop an improved animal model of congestive heart failure, 11 female farm pigs (wt, 42-46 kg) underwent rapid ventricular pacing at 230 beats/min for 7 days with a modified Medtronic unipolar pacemaker connected to an apical pacing lead. After 7 days the pacemaker was turned off, anesthesia induced, the chest opened, and cardiac hemodynamic and dimensional studies were performed. Results were subsequently compared with data from 12 control pigs that received no pacing. Two pigs died before measurements could be determined. Cardiac output in the paced animals (0.061 +/- 0.018 l.min-1.kg-1) was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than in control pigs (0.085 +/- 0.016 l.min-1.kg-1), when compared at the same resting heart rate. Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (23.2 +/- 7.7 vs. 8.6 +/- 3.6 mmHg, P less than 0.01) and right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic pressure (9.0 +/- 3.1 vs. 4.4 +/- 1.7 mmHg, P less than 0.01) were significantly greater in the paced pigs. Significant increases in both septal-lateral LV end-diastolic dimension (60.3 +/- 3.9 vs. 52.1 +/- 7.2 mm, P less than 0.01) and RV end-diastolic dimension (47.2 +/- 5.7 vs. 40.8 +/- 4.7 mm, P less than 0.05) indicated biventricular dilation in the paced pigs. They also exhibited a significantly greater heart weight-to-total body weight ratio and clinical evidence of congestive heart failure, with hepatomegaly and ascites. These results demonstrate that 1 wk of rapid ventricular pacing at 230 beats/min produces a realistic model of congestive heart failure in the pig.