The effect of coronary perfusion pressure on recovery of myocardial function following normothermic ischemia

Reperfusion strategy after regional ischaemia: comparative study of reperfusion conditions and compositions

We investigated the effects of pressure, temperature and additives on aortic root reperfusion success. Cardiopulmonary bypass and heart arrest were initiated in mongrel dogs and sudden uncontrolled normothermic (group 1), pressure controlled substrate enriched normothermic (group 2a), pressure controlled unmodified normothermic (group 2b) and pressure controlled unmodified tepid (group 3) reperfusion compared. In group 1, the first cardiac rhythm was ventricular fibrillation, but dogs in the other groups showed spontaneous sinus rhythm. Recovery times were significantly longer and cardiac output levels significantly decreased in group 1 compared with the other groups. Prolonged lactate production and oxygen uptake failure were observed in group 1 compared with the other groups; oxidative stress markers and microscopic studies confirmed significant tissue injury in group 1. All parameters were similar between groups 2a, 2b and 3, indicating that low reperfusion pressure in the first 2 min is the most effective component of reperfusion.

Controlled initial hyperkalemic reperfusion after cardiac transplantation: coronary vascular resistance and blood flow

The coronary vascular response to controlled initial hyperkalemic reperfusion after global ischemia during cardiac transplantation was studied in 11 patients. The mean global ischemic time was 206 minutes (range, 143 to 245 minutes). All donor hearts received initial hyperkalemic crystalloid cardioplegia and subsequent oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia during implantation. Coronary blood flow was highest during the first one to two minutes of controlled reperfusion but remained normal throughout the first ten minutes of reperfusion. Coronary vascular resistance was less than normal throughout the first ten minutes of controlled reperfusion, but there was a gradual increase throughout this period. Systemic vascular resistance remained within normal limits. The time to effective contraction was highly variable, but a greater potassium load during initial reperfusion was generally associated with a longer time to effective contraction.

Coronary and systemic vascular resistance during reperfusion after global myocardial ischemia

During controlled aortic root reperfusion after global myocardial ischemia for the performance of coronary artery bypass grafting (N = 16), coronary blood flow was the highest during the first 1 minute to 2 minutes even though the aortic root pressure was controlled at about 40 mm Hg. Even during the period of controlled low pressure, flow began to decline, and the decline continued during the period in which the pressure was controlled at 75 mm Hg. Calculated coronary vascular resistance rose steadily from an initially low value to one well above the normal value for beating hearts. A transient fall in resistance resulted from the administration of a bolus of nitroglycerin into the aortic root. When the initial reperfusate was normokalemic, coronary flow was less and coronary vascular resistance higher during the initial phase of reperfusion. The systemic arterial pressure and resistance fell during the first 1 minute to 3 minutes of reperfusion and in 25% of patients, remained low. The greater the potassium load delivered during the initially hyperkalemic phase, the longer the interval between the beginning of reperfusion and the resumption of cardiac systole.