Left Ventricular Performance and Coronary Flow After Coronary Embolization with Plastic Microspheres

Coronary flow, left ventricular circumference, and left ventricular pressure were observed in the isovolumically contracting, isolated canine heart supported with arterial blood from a donor. Systolic pressure, heart rate, and coronary perfusion pressure were held constant while the coronary bed was progressively embolized with either large (average 865 mu) or small (average 10 mu) polystyrene microspheres. During embolization with large microspheres, coronary flow diminished progressively. After sufficient embolization, decreased ventricular performance was indicated by a rise in end-diastolic pressure. During embolization with small microspheres, coronary flow initially increased, which suggests the effective release of a vasodilator substance. Return of coronary flow to control levels occurred only after the end-diastolic pressure rose, on the average, to above 30 mm Hg. After embolization with both sizes of microspheres, ventricular diastolic pressure-volume relationships showed decreased ventricular compliance. This was attributed, in part, to edema of the ventricular wall and, in part, to focal shortening of the sarcomeres where the circulation was compromised. Embolization with both sizes of microspheres ultimately caused a decrease in ventricular performance, although when the systolic pressure was increased the usual relationship between peak developed wall stress, and end-diastolic pressure showed less of a descending limb than that found in the nonembolized, isolated heart. It is felt that the data summarized above have bearing on ventricular performance and coronary flow in clinical situations where hearts are perfused through pump oxygenator systems and are thereby subject to embolization from aggregated clumps of platelets and fibrin.