Properties of the myocardium affecting the coronary circulation

The mean coronary blood flow increases in response to an increase in myocardial oxygen consumption. Conversely, an increase in coronary perfusion is itself reported to induce an increase in myocardial oxygen consumption. Such an effect can be explained by stretching of the myocardial fibers surrounding the vessels, which become more distended with an increase in perfusion. The flow in the left descending and circumflex coronary arteries is reduced in systole because of the compression exerted by the contracting myocardium on the intramyocardial vessels. Due to the thinner wall of the right ventricle, this reduction is not obvious in the right coronary artery. The intramyocardial pump model provides a satisfactory explanation of the mechanism by which contraction reduces the flow. It also explains the attenuation of the diastolic-systolic oscillations of flow which occurs in the presence of a stenosis of a large epicardial artery. The varying elastance model shows the dependence of the extent of the reduction of the flow in systole on myocardial contractile force rather than on the pressure developed in the ventricle by the contraction. However, although the ventricular systolic pressure does not affect the flow in hearts with a relatively thick wall, it contributes to the systolic reduction of flow in hearts with a relatively thin wall. Owing to a mechanism involving the coronary capacitance, contraction is also responsible for the level of coronary flow in diastole.