Nutritive and non-nutritive blood flow in canine skeletal muscle after partial microembolization

Partial microembolization of the previously dilated gastrocnemius muscle of the dog was performed by intra-arterial injection of latex microspheres (max. diameter 50 mum). No particles larger than 10 mum were recovered from the venous blood. Blood to tissue clearance of 4-amino-antipyrine was found to decrease after microembolization, and capillary transport coefficients were disproportionately lowered in comparison with the observed decrease of total blood flow. Venous oxygen saturation increased despite decreasing total blood flow in the working muscle after microembolization. The data indicate a shift of blood flow from nutritive to functionally non-nutritive channels.