Effect of urapidil on the performance of ischemic myocardium in anesthetized dogs

Urapidil (URA) is used to treat acute hypertension in patients with coronary artery disease, but the effect of URA on the performance of ischemic myocardium has not yet been investigated. The present study was intended to assess the function of ischemic myocardium following URA administration. In eight anesthetized (piritramide) open-chest dogs systolic contraction (dL) and end-diastolic length (edL) of myocardium supplied by the left descending (LAD) and circumflex (LCA) coronary arteries were measured by sonomicrometry simultaneously with aortic pressure (AoP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVedP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), and LAD-flow (QLAD). QLAD was reduced by LAD stenosis to about 50% of control, decreasing dLLAD by 55%. Concomitantly, edLLAD increased by about 9% and LVedP by 22%, whereas AoP decreased by 5%. Then, URA was given i.v. (0.25 + 0.25 + 0.50 + 1.0 mg/kg) in 15-min intervals. Following URA, the performance of the non-ischemic area was not systematically affected, but dLLAD increased by about 50%. This could neither be related to the significant reduction in afterload (AoP: -8%), nor to an increase in preload (LVedP and edLLAD did not change significantly), nor to an improved oxygen supply via the LAD (QLAD even decreased), although an increased collateral flow the LCA could not be excluded. The increase in systolic shortening correlated very closely to a decrease in heart rate (r = -0.92). It is concluded that the improved function of ischemic myocardium following urapidil resulted from a reduced oxygen demand in consequence to the decrease in heart rate.