Myocardial substrate uptake in lambs with and without aortopulmonary shunts during strenuous exercise

Increased myocardial fatty acid uptake during acute exercise could adversely affect myocardial O2 consumption in lambs with left-to-right shunts, which would be unfavorable in view of their decreased coronary blood flow reserve. Therefore, we studied myocardial substrate uptake (glucose, lactate, pyruvate, free fatty acids, triglycerides, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetoacetate) in 10 7-wk-old lambs with an aortopulmonary left-to-right shunt [61 +/- 3% (SE) of left ventricular output] and 9 control lambs during strenuous treadmill exercise. The hemodynamic reaction to exercise was similar in shunt and control lambs. The peripheral metabolic response to exercise was also similar in the two groups: glucose free fatty acids, and, most prominently, lactate concentrations increased. Myocardial O2 consumption increased but less in shunt than in control lambs because of a smaller increase in heart rate. In both groups myocardial lactate uptake increased substantially at the cost of other substrates, providing the heart with 40% of its oxidative metabolism. Fatty acid uptake was not different between the two groups. In conclusion, our data reveal no essential differences in myocardial substrate uptake between shunt and control lambs during a substantial circulatory load.