Work

Locations of ectopic beats coincide with spatial gradients of NADH in a regional model of low-flow reperfusion

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: We studied the origins of ectopic beats during low-flow reperfusion after acute regional ischemia in excised rat hearts. The left anterior descending coronary artery was cannulated. Perfusate was delivered to the cannula using an high-performance liquid chromatography pump. This provided not only precise control of flow rate but also avoided mechanical artifacts associated with vessel occlusion and deocclusion. Optical mapping of epicardial transmembrane potential served to identify activation wavefronts. Imaging of NADH fluorescence was used to quantify local ischemia. Our experiments suggest that low-flow reperfusion of ischemic myocardium leads to a highly heterogeneous ischemic substrate and that the degree of ischemia between adjacent patches of tissue changes in time. In contrast to transient ectopic activity observed during full-flow reperfusion, persistent ectopic arrhythmias were observed during low-flow reperfusion. The origins of ectopic beats were traceable to areas of high spatial gradients of changes in NADH fluorescence caused by low-flow reperfusion.

Source: American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology

DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.01158.2007

Authors: Matthew Kay, Luther Swift, Brian Martell, Ara Arutunyan, Narine Sarvazyan

Institution: George Washington University

Language: English

Topic: Cardiac Ischemia and Reperfusion

Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: American Heart Association, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute