Myocardial lactic acid balance after left ventriculography

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Myocardial metabolism is crucial for cardiac function.
• Contrast media used in angiography can potentially affect cardiac metabolism.
• Assessing lactic acid kinetics provides insights into myocardial oxygen balance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of contrast media on myocardial metabolism.
• To evaluate lactic acid extraction during left ventricular angiography.
• To compare metabolic responses in normal individuals versus those with coronary artery disease.

Main Methods:

• Determined lactic acid extraction percentage during left ventricular angiography in 16 normal patients and 29 with coronary artery disease.
• Assessed lactic acid uptake after atrial pacing and aortography in subsets of patients.
• Measured coronary sinus lactic acid levels to determine production or extraction.

Main Results:

• Normal patients typically showed no myocardial lactic acid production post-angiography.
• Patients with coronary artery disease exhibited net lactic acid production in the coronary sinus.
• This production was comparable to responses after atrial pacing and aortography.

Conclusions:

• Left ventricular angiography is a valuable tool for assessing myocardial lactic acid kinetics in coronary artery disease.
• The technique can aid in studying myocardial metabolism in aortic valve disease.
• It may also be useful for evaluating the toxicity of various contrast media.