Influence of perfusion pressure and heart rate on local myocardial flow in the collateralized heart with chronic coronary occlusion.

We studied the influence of controlled changes in perfusion pressure and heart rate on the regional distribution of myocardial flow in normal dogs and in dogs with multiple chronic coronary artery occlusions but without infarctions. Local myocardial blood flow was determined with the tracer microsphere technique. By stepwise altering of systemic blood pressure during maximal vasodilation classical pressure flow relations were obtained. One week after complete chronic occlusion a functionally and anatomically well-defined compartmentation of blood flow was found. The dilatory reserve is clearly compromised not only in the collateral-dependent myocardium but also in the apparently normal myocardium which delivers collateral flow. An "arterio-arterial shunting" mechanism is shown to exist. Several months after coronary occlusion, regional mycoardial flow is still nonhomogeneous. Although the coronary dilatory capacity of the collateralized myocardium is nearly normal, that of the normal myocardium is found to be higher than normal. Vessel growth in both areas is discussed as being responsible for this phenomenon. Right ventricular pacing during maximal vasodilation produces a flow decrease to the endocardial muscle layers in normal dogs, while the epicardial flow is unchanged. One week after complete chronic coronary occlusion pacing during maximal vasocilation reduces the dilatory capacity in the collateralized areas to such an extent that the supplementary increase in myocardial oxygen demand will induce ischemia because of the compromised oxygen supply.