Metabolic coronary blood flow recruitment and distribution were studied in the setting of ventricular fibrillation (VF) during post-cardioplegia reperfusion. Fifteen pigs were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass and subjected to one hour of intermittent cold blood antegrade cardioplegia, followed by controlled myocardial reperfusion. According to the electromechanical status during the first ten minutes of reperfusion, the animals were allocated into 3 groups (n=5). Whereas Group 1 remained asystolic, the other two groups developed short (Group 2) or long duration VF (Group 3). Myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), in m/O2 /min/g (mean ± standard error) during reperfusion was 1.325 ± 0.144 (Group 1); 2.472 ± 0.208 (Group 2) and, 2.469 ± 0.228 (Group 3). MVO2 difference between asystolic and both short and long duration VF hearts was significant (p<0.001). Groups 1.2 and 3 endo-epi ratio and global coronary blood flow rate (169.3 ± 11.7; 185.0 ± 15.7 and 179.9 ± 13.2 ml/min/100g; respectively) were similar. These results demonstrate that coronary blood flow autoregulation was impaired because there was no increase in myocardial perfusion in response to the increase oxygen consumption imposed by VF during the first ten minutes of post cryocardioplegia reperfusion. This finding is of great clinical importance because it suggests that VF can potentially aggravate reperfusion lesions in formerly compromised hearts, i.e., those with coronary artery obstruction, ventricular distension or ventricular hypertrophy.
Coronary circulation; Myocardial reperfusion; Heart arrest; Ventricular fibrilation; Myocardium
