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Alterations in diastolic ventricular interdependence due to myocardial infarction
1Section on Cardiology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Cardiovascular Research
|October 1, 1988
Summary
Myocardial infarction alters heart ventricle mechanical coupling. This study shows significant changes in how pressure and volume transfer between ventricles after left ventricular free wall infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Cardiac Mechanics
Background:
- Ventricular pressure and volume are mechanically coupled.
- This coupling is dependent on cardiac anatomy.
- Disease states altering ventricular compliance may affect this coupling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if left ventricular free wall infarction alters mechanical coupling between ventricles.
- To determine if induced changes in ventricular compliance affect ventricular coupling.
Main Methods:
- Six dogs with prior left ventricular free wall myocardial infarction were studied.
- Hearts were explanted, and balloons were used to measure pressure and volume changes between ventricles.
- Acute compliance changes were induced with glutaraldehyde injection in five additional experiments.
Main Results:
- Transfer functions quantifying pressure and volume transfer between ventricles significantly increased in infarct and glutaraldehyde groups compared to controls.
- Specific transfer functions (e.g., dPl/dPr, dPl/dVr) showed significant alterations.
- Other transfer functions (e.g., dVl/dPr, dVr/dPl) remained unaltered.
Conclusions:
- Left ventricular free wall infarction leads to significant, selective alterations in mechanical coupling between the ventricles.
- Acute changes in ventricular compliance also alter this mechanical coupling.
- These findings highlight the impact of regional ventricular compliance on inter-ventricular interaction.