Influence of ventricular fibrillation on sympathetic nerve activity under biventricular bypass circulation

Autonomic nerves play an important role in circulatory control. The characteristics of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) during artificial circulation, however, are not well understood. In this study, we examined the influence of natural heart beating on the renal SNA (RSNA) using pulsatile 100% biventricular assistance and electrically induced ventricular fibrillation in anesthetized goats, whose heart rate and size are similar to the human heart's. Following induction of the ventricular fibrillation, the pulse-synchronous discharges in the RSNA did not change their periodicity and quantity significantly. It was concluded that the beating of the heart had little influence on the RSNA and was presumably not essential for maintaining nervous control of circulation as long as the circulation was maintained by an artificial heart.