The Effects of Nifedipine on Myocardial Blood Flow and Contraction During Ischemia in the Dog

Nifedipine has been proposed as an agent to preserve viability and function of ischemic myocardium. We studied 23 open-chest dogs that underwent carotid-to-left anterior coronary artery perfusion with flow probe and perfusion pressure monitoring. Segment length was measured with ultrasonic crystals in the ischemic and nonischemic endocardium. Myocardial blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. Partial coronary occlusion was performed to 25 mm Hg diastolic perfusion pressure. Ten dogs received intracoronary nifedipine, 10 micrograms, and 13 dogs received i.v. nifedipine, 3 micrograms/kg/min. Nifedipine resulted in an increase in segmental shortening in both groups, but nonischemic zone shortening did not change in either group. Nifedipine did not affect myocardial blood flow in the ischemic zone, but increased flow in the nonischemic zone in the group that received i.v. nifedipine. Thus, nifedipine appears to have a direct beneficial effect on ischemic myocardium.