Effect of myocardial ischemia on hemodynamic response to carotid occlusion

Fourteen mongrel dogs were anesthetized and instrumented to measure arterial pressure (AP), left ventricular pressure (LVP), aortic blood flow, and heart rate (HR). Hydraulic occluders were placed around the left anterior descending (LAD, n = 9) and left circumflex (LCC, n = 14) coronary arteries. A bilateral carotid occlusion (BCO) was made before and during either anterior (LAD occlusion) or posterior (LCC occlusion) ischemia. Posterior ischemia significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced the BCO-induced increases in mean AP (by 44.3 +/- 7.3%), systolic LVP (by 65.5 +/- 6.9%), first derivative of LVP (dLVP/dt, by 95.7 +/- 44.3%), and aortic resistance (by 117.7 +/- 26.9%). In contrast, anterior ischemia failed to alter significantly the hemodynamic response to BCO. Bilateral vagotomy attenuated or eliminated many of the effects of posterior ischemia on the BCO response. In fact, the change in aortic resistance was no longer affected by the ischemia and increased to the same extent, as noted during the control BCO. However, mean AP (38.7 +/- 6.8%), systolic LVP (40.3 +/- 8.7%), and dLVP/dt (62.4 +/- 11.0%) remained significantly reduced when compared with the control (no coronary occlusion) response. These data suggest that 1) posterior ischemia elicits a greater reduction in the BCO response than anterior ischemia, and 2) vagal afferents as well as depression of contractile function may both contribute to the BCO response inhibition noted during posterior ischemia.