A new technique to increase coronary flow. Preliminary report

This study was planned to investigate whether part of the energy produced by cardiac contraction to propel blood toward the systemic circulation can be used to increase the coronary flow in systole. Ten devices (I-X) designed to divert laterally part of a flow column (without substantially increasing resistance to flow) were tested in a mock circulation and in nine anesthetized dogs. An increase of 11.69 +/- 1.97% (mean +/- SEM, P less than 0.005) in "coronary flow" and of 8.98 +/- 0.56% (mean +/- SEM, P less than 0.001) in coronary sinus flow were obtained with device I mounted on a stylet and placed above the "aortic valve" in the mock circulation and the dogs, respectively, without increasing the flow resistance. The results in;dicate the possibility of diverting part of the aortic flow toward the coronary arteries without increasing mean aortic pressure.