Augmentation of myocardial ischemia by low level carbon monoxide exposure in dogs

This study was conducted to determine whether low level exposure to carbon monoxide would increase myocardial ischemia associated with acute myocardial infarction. An hour after coronary artery ligation, eleven anesthetized dogs underwent five sequential respiratory exposures to 5,000 ppm carbon monoxide, producing mean blood carboxyhemoglobin levels of 4.9% to 17.0%. Ischemia, as indicated by the amount of S-T segment elevation in epicardial electrocardiograms, increased significantly at the lowest carboxyhemoglobin level and increased further with increasing carbon monoxide exposure. These changes occurred in the absence of altered heart rate, blood pressure, left atrial pressure, cardiac output, or blood flow to ischemic myocardium. Flow to non-ischemic myocardium increased with carbon monoxide exposure, the percentage increase being approximately double the increase in carboxyhemoglobin level. Thus, low level exposure to carbon monoxide can significantly augment ischemia in acute myocardial infarction, apparently through a reduction in oxygen supplied to ischemic tissue. The data suggest that hypoxia induced by carbon monoxide exposure is more severe than can be accounted for by a simple reduction in oxygenated hemoglobin.