Regional myocardial systolic function. Effects of coronary occlusion and reperfusion

Intramyocardial pressure and segment length were measured during control conditions, during 30 sec coronary artery occlusion, and during reperfusion in the subendocardial (ENDO) and in the subepicardial (EPI) layers of the left ventricular wall, in 9 open-chest dogs. Under control conditions systolic subendocardial pressure, 179 +/- 11 mmHg, exceeded subepicardial pressure, 97 +/- 9 mmHg (P less than .001); the maximal rate of change of pressure in the subendocardium, 2231 +/- 170 mmHg/sec, was greater than in the subepicardium, 960 +/- 125 mmHg/sec, (P less than .001). Subendocardial systolic shortening, 23 +/- 2% was greater than subepicardial systolic shortening 16 +/- 1% (P less than .001). The maximal rate of systolic shortening in the subendocardium, 32 +/- 5 mm/sec, was also higher than in the subepicardial, 14 +/- 1 mm/sec (P less than .001). When the left anterior descending coronary artery was closed, subendocardial and subepicardial systolic pressures decreased immediately; conversely, appreciable changes in segment length were delayed 10-12 heart beats. After 30 sec of coronary occlusion a 35% reduction was observed in subendocardial and subepicardial systolic pressures, and systolic lengthening occurred. During reperfusion systolic shortening showed a brief overshooting and was back to control after 10 +/- 2 sec in subepicardium and 13 +/- 2 sec in subendocardium. Systolic intramyocardial pressure recovered in 14 +/- 3 sec in EPI and 18 +/- 2 sec in ENDO and subsequently rose above control level. Peak rebound occurred after 50-75 sec of reperfusion and was 27% higher than control in subendocardium and 20% in subepicardium. In 5 dogs the effects of coronary occlusions lasting 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 sec were investigated. A progressive increase in ischemic depression and reperfusion rebound in subendocardial and subepicardial pressures was observed. These data show that subendocardial and subepicardial are both functionally depressed by coronary occlusion and that subendocardial and subepicardial both contribute to reperfusion hyperkinesis. Systolic intramyocardial pressures persist when shortening is abolished. Ischemic depression and reperfusion rebound of systolic intramyocardial pressures are affected by duration of coronary occlusion.