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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2006;132:1314-1320
© 2006 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Cardiopulmonary Support and Physiology |
a Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
b Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Peoples Republic of China
c Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, and Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Fla.
Received for publication March 22, 2006; revisions received July 6, 2006; accepted for publication July 13, 2006. * Address for reprints: Ganghong Tian, MD, PhD, Institute for Biodiagnostics, 435 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1Y6, Canada. (Email: Hong.Tian{at}nrc-cnrc.gc.ca).
| Abstract |
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METHODS: Twenty piglets underwent a 12-week ascending aortic banding to induce left ventricular hypertrophy. Isolated hypertrophied hearts were divided into 4 groups (n = 5 in each group). Two groups underwent normothermic normokalemic simultaneous perfusion. The other 2 groups were subjected to normothermic hyperkalemic simultaneous perfusion and used as controls. Intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure was monitored with a microtip pressure transducer. Volumes of intracellular and extracellular compartments and myocardial energy metabolism were monitored by using phosphorus 31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
RESULTS: Normothermic normokalemic simultaneous perfusion (NNSP) maintained intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure at a significantly lower level (13.0 ± 0.6 mm Hg) compared with normothermic hyperkalemic simultaneous perfusion (NHSP) (23.3 ± 1.2 mm Hg) during a 90-minute preservation. NNSP maintained the normal volume of the intracellular compartment throughout the preservation period, whereas NHSP caused significant enlargement (to 123% ± 6% of its normal volume) of the intracellular compartment. Expansion of the extracellular compartment during preservation was significantly less in the NNSP group (124% ± 6%) than in the NHSP group (152% ± 7%). NNSP maintained normal levels of phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate until coronary perfusion flow was reduced to 50% of the initial control level. No decrease in energy metabolites was observed in the NHSP group even when coronary perfusion flow was reduced to 10% of the initial control level.
CONCLUSIONS: Keeping the heart empty and beating improves myocardial fluid homeostasis for hypertrophied hearts relative to cardioplegic arrest. Its ability to maintain energy metabolism depends on the degree of coronary stenosis. This technique may be a promising protective strategy for hypertrophied hearts.
| Introduction |
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Myocardial hypertrophy is associated with a significant enlargement of the myocardial interstitial compartment and a decrease in the density of the capillaries and mitochondria.5-8
These pathologic changes provide the histologic foundation for severe myocardial edema and compromised myocardial perfusion and energy metabolism. Moreover, cardioplegia abolishes the squeezing effect of myocardial contraction on the coronary system, which is an important element in maintenance of normal myocardial fluid homeostasis and blood perfusion.9,10
Cardioplegia results in an increase in concentrations of potassium and chloride and also causes water accumulation in both the extracellular and intracellular compartments.11,12
Thus, cardioplegic techniques may offer only suboptimal protection for hypertrophied hearts in high-risk patients.
The development of beating coronary artery bypass grafting has indicated that cardioplegia is not an indispensable component for cardiac surgery. By extension, it is believed that valve surgery can also be performed under beating conditions. Masroor and colleagues13
and Di Luozzo and associates14
have successfully adopted this technique in their clinical practice. Their preliminary clinical experience has suggested that keeping the heart empty and beating during valve surgery is advantageous in high-risk patients.13,14
We hypothesized that the potential beneficial effects of keeping the heart empty and beating are closely related to improved preservation of myocardial fluid homeostasis and the volume of the cellular compartments. This study was therefore designed to test our hypothesis.
Partington and associates15,16
elegantly showed that ideal myocardial protection requires the administration of cold blood cardioplegia alternating between antegrade and retrograde infusions, because each of these modalities of cardioplegic administration perfuses different vessel beds of the myocardium. Subsequently, Ihnken and associates17,18
introduced the concept of simultaneous antegrade/retrograde warm blood cardioplegia. They concluded that this was a "near" ideal method of myocardial protection, a technique that was investigated both in animals and humans. Thus, simultaneous perfusion was chosen as a perfusion technique for this study.
| Materials and Methods |
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Pig Model of Pressure-overloaded Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Twenty 6- to 8-week-old piglets weighing 5 to 7 kg were sedated with an intramuscular injection of diazepam (0.4 mg/kg body weight) and ketamine (20 mg/kg body weight). After the induction of anesthesia, piglets were intubated and mechanically ventilated with gas anesthesia comprising 1% to 2% isoflurane in a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. A left lateral thoracotomy was performed in the third intercostal space. The pericardium was incised, and care was taken to avoid damage to the phrenic nerve. The ascending aorta was dissected bluntly from pulmonary artery. A piece of suture inside a silicone tube was placed to circle the ascending aorta. The ends of the suture were tied to allow for overlap of the tube ends to create a peak systolic pressure gradient of 10 to 20 mm Hg between the left ventricle (LV) and aorta distal to the stenosis. The chests were closed, and the animals were allowed to recover for 12 weeks for the development of LV hypertrophy.
Isolated Pig Heart Preparation
Twelve weeks after banding of the aorta, the animals chests and pericardia were reopened under general anesthesia. The aorta, pulmonary artery, and inferior and superior vena cava were dissected and clamped. A heparinized polyethylene catheter was inserted into the LV chamber to measure intraventricular pressure. Cold (4°C) cardioplegia was infused into the aortic root to arrest the heart. The heart was quickly excised and immersed in cold saline solution for instrumentation. The aorta and left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery were cannulated for antegrade perfusion. A 17F retrograde cannula was positioned in the coronary sinus and secured with a purse-string suture for retrograde perfusion. A short piece of polyethylene was inserted into the LV through the apex to keep the LV empty throughout the protocol.
Pig blood in the animal chest was collected and mixed with Krebs-Henseleit solution in a 1:1 ratio for perfusion of the pig heart. The Krebs-Henseleit solution contained 118 mmol/L NaCl, 1.2 mmol/L MgSO4, 0.5 mmol/L ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 11 mmol/L glucose, 25 mmol/L NaHCO3, 1.75 mmol/L CaCl2, and 0.625% bovine serum albumin. The concentration of potassium was 4.0 and 16 mmol/L for normothermic normokalemic simultaneous perfusion (NNSP) and normothermic hyperkalemic simultaneous perfusion (NHSP), respectively. The mixture was oxygenated with 95% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide to a final pH and PO 2 of 7.42 ± 0.02 pH units and 604.7 ± 25 mm Hg, respectively. The temperature of the heart was maintained at 36.5°C to 37°C throughout the protocol.
Experimental Protocols
Isolated hypertrophied pig hearts were divided into 4 groups with 5 hearts in each group. Groups I and II were used to assess the effects of empty beating (NNSP) and cardioplegic arrest (NHSP) on intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure and the volumes of the cellular compartments. The hearts in the 2 groups underwent a protocol consisting of a 10-minute antegrade normokalemic perfusion (control perfusion) and 90 minutes of either NNSP (group I) or NHSP (group II). A microtip pressure transducer with a needle tip was inserted 4 to 5 mm into the LV wall for measurement of intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure. Perfusion pressure at the aorta and coronary sinus was maintained at 60 and 40 mm Hg, respectively. The corresponding total antegrade flow was 217 ± 13 mL/min, and retrograde flow was 47 ± 4 mL/min throughout the simultaneous perfusion period.
Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP; 20 mmol/L) and phenylphosphonic acid (PPA; 10 mmol/L) were added into the mixture (pig blood and Krebs-Henseleit solution) to monitor the volumes of the intracellular and extracellular compartments. Both compounds are chemically inert and nontoxic. DMMP rapidly distributes to the entire water compartment, whereas PPA distributes only into the extracellular compartment.19,20
The difference between DMMP and PPA distribution volumes gives rise to the volume of the intracellular compartment. Changes in the volumes of the 2 compartments during NNSP or NHSP were monitored by following the magnetic resonance (MR) signal intensities of the 2 chemicals.21
A small plastic ball filled with 1 mL of 500 mmol/L methylphosphonic acid was placed in the right ventricles as a reference for quantification of DMMP and PPA.
Groups III and IV were used to assess the ability of empty beating (NNSP) and cardioplegic arrest (NHSP) to maintain myocardial energy metabolism. The LAD was cannulated in the 2 groups of hearts to control blood flow. Hearts in both groups were first subjected to a 10-minute control perfusion and then to 65 minutes of NNSP (group III) or NHSP (group IV). During the simultaneous perfusion, LAD blood flow gradually decreased from 100% to 70%, 50%, 30%, and 10% of the initial control level obtained at a perfusion pressure of 60 mm Hg. The decrease in LAD perfusion flow was used to simulate coronary stenosis. Perfusion at each flow rate lasted 10 minutes. A 5-minute perfusion at 100% flow was used before any decrease in LAD perfusion flow. Again, perfusion pressures at the aorta and coronary sinus were kept at 60 and 40 mm Hg, respectively, during the 65-minute simultaneous perfusion.
At the end of the experiment, total heart weight, LV weight (LV free wall and septum), and areas of the aortic root and the banding site of the hypertrophied hearts were measured. The parameters of normal hearts (with no aortic banding) were obtained from the animals in our other studies and used as control references. Experimental protocols are illustrated in Figure 1.
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MR signals (free induction decay) were obtained by use of a hard pulse with a pulse length of 75 microseconds and a repetition time of 2 seconds. Six free induction decay signals were accumulated for each 31P MR spectrum. Thus, each spectrum was averaged over a 2-minute sample time.
The observed phosphorus compounds included DMMP, PPA, methylphosphonic acid, inorganic phosphate, phosphocreatine (PCr), and 3 peaks (
, ß, and
) of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The ß peak was used for quantifying ATP.
Data Analysis
The 31P MR spectra were analyzed by using the software 1D-WINNER (Bruker). Myocardial energy metabolites (PCr and ATP), DMMP, and PPA are expressed as the percentage of their initial levels obtained during the control perfusion.
Statistical analyses were performed with Statistica (StatSoft Inc, Tulsa, Okla). All numerical data are expressed as the mean ± SD. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the changes in the intracellular and extracellular compartments and the intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure between groups I and II. One-way analysis of variance was also used to compare the levels of myocardial PCr and ATP in groups III and IV.
| Results |
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Effect of NNSP and NHSP on Intramyocardial Hydrostatic Pressure
A representative intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure record obtained from a heart undergoing NNSP and NHSP is shown in the upper panel of Figure 2. Intramyocardial pressure varied with contraction and relaxation of the heart. Measurements at the end of diastole represented intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure during NNSP. It was very clear that cardioplegic arrest achieved with NHSP resulted in rapid and significant elevation of intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure. Averages of intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure measured from the NNSP hearts (13 ± 0.6 mm Hg) were significantly (P = .0037) lower than those obtained from the NHSP hearts (23 ± 1.2 mm Hg) (Figure 2, lower panel).
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| Discussion |
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It has been shown that myocardial hypertrophy is associated with an approximately 30% enlargement of the interstitial compartment, a 100% increase in myocardial collagen, and a 50% increase in proteoglycan.5,6
Because interstitial fluid is mainly entrapped in minute spaces among the proteoglycan filaments, enlargement of the interstitial compartment and an increase in collagen and proteoglycan provide a histologic foundation for severe tissue edema. Therefore, cardioplegia-resulting destruction of myocardial fluid homeostasis is expected to be more severe in hypertrophied than in nonhypertrophied hearts.
NNSP prevented an increase in intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure and significantly reduced enlargement of the extracellular compartment. It maintained a normal volume of the intracellular compartment throughout 90 minutes of NNSP. In contrast, NHSP significantly increased intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure and resulted in enlargement of both the intracellular and extracellular compartments. We believe that the increase in intramyocardial hydrostatic pressure and the expansion of both cellular compartments in the NHSP hearts were the result of cardioplegia-induced fluid accumulation. It has been shown that cardiac arrest significantly decreases myocardial lymph flow and impairs lymph drainage, thus leading to water accumulation in the interstitial compartment.9,10,25,26
Decreased lymph flow and driving pressure were observed during ventricular fibrillation, while normal coronary perfusion was maintained.10,25
This suggests that organized myocardial contraction is very important for maintenance of normal myocardial lymph flow and myocardial fluid homeostasis.10,25
In addition, as a result of prolonged diastolic cardiac arrest, myocardial microvascular filtration was increased, thus leading to the development of myocardial edema during cardioplegia.27
NNSP maintained normal electromechanical activity and lymph flow of the hearts, thus preventing water accumulation within both extracellular and intracellular compartments. Moreover, according to the Donnan relationship, an increased concentration of potassium, chloride, and water in the interstitial compartment leads to increased movement of the ions and water molecules into the intracellular compartment.11,12
NNSP avoided hyperkalemia and hyperchloremia. Thus, NNSP maintained a normal intracellular compartment and minimized myocardial edema.
Cardioplegia abolishes the electromechanical activity of the heart and reduces the myocardial energy demand by a factor of approximately 100.2
As such, hearts subjected to NHSP did not show any significant change in the levels of ATP and PCr with the LAD perfusion flow reduced. In contrast, the hearts subjected to NNSP started to show a decline in the PCr level when the LAD perfusion flow decreased to 50% of the initial control level. Further decreases in the LAD perfusion flow caused a linear reduction in ATP and PCr levels. Thus, NNSP was inferior to cardioplegia (NHSP) in maintaining myocardial energy metabolism; this was anticipated. Nevertheless, NNSP was able to sustain the normal myocardial energy metabolism of hypertrophied hearts even in stimulated moderate coronary stenosis. Because PCr is normally used to replenish ATP during ischemia, a striking decrease in the PCr level started earlier than a significant decrease in the ATP level.28-30
In this study, histologic assessment of the hypertrophied heart was not performed. Thus, no histologic evidence of myocardial hypertrophy was provided. However, hemodynamic and heart weight data indicated significant myocardial hypertrophy. In addition, isolated pig hearts were perfused with highly diluted pig blood in a Langendorff apparatus. Therefore, the myocardial edema and expansion of cellular compartments observed in this study may be much more severe than those encountered in hypertrophied human hearts. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that keeping the heart beating with NNSP improved preservation for hypertrophied hearts in comparison with cardioplegic arrest using NHSP. The effects of keeping the heart empty and beating on myocardial perfusion and contractile function are currently under investigation in our laboratory.
In summary, keeping the heart empty and beating with normothermic normokalemic simultaneous blood perfusion improved the preservation of myocardial fluid homeostasis and the volumes of the cellular compartments in comparison with cardioplegic arrest using normothermic hyperkalemic simultaneous antegrade/retrograde blood perfusion. The first basic study on this new technique of myocardial protection forms the basis for the further investigation needed to fully delineate its potential benefits for surgery on the hypertrophied heart.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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| References |
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