Antiarrhythmic effects of aspirin during nonthrombotic coronary occlusion

To study the action of aspirin upon the myocardium per se, independent of thrombosis, coronary occlusion with a balloon catheter was induced in 53 anesthetized dogs divided into two groups. One group (N = 20) was treated daily with aspirin (600 mg/dog) for seven days and another (N = 33) was untreated. Left ventricular hemodynamics and precordial ECG mapping were used to assess the influence of myocardial ischemia over a four hour period. There were no significant differences in left ventricular function or extent of injury as judged by ECG mapping between the two groups. However, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of ventricular fibrillation in the treated dogs (5% vs 39%). Serial plasma samples for free fatty acid determination showed a significant rise in the untreated group. Aspirin blocked the FFA increment in the treated animals. Tissue samples from the ischemic area of left ventricle exhibited a significant reduction of the sodium and water increments, as well as a lesser potassium loss in the treated animals compared to the controls and may have been the basis for the lower incidence of arrhythmias. Since infusion of 51Cr labelled platelets showed no myocardial accumulation of platelets in either group, microthrombi did not appear to contribute to the observed differences.