Characteristics of chronic left ventricular dysfunction induced by coronary embolization in a canine model.

We have characterized the coronary vascular reserve, left ventricular function and inotropic response in dogs with chronic heart failure consequent to intracoronary embolization (EMB) with 50 microns spheres. We conducted studies 12-39 months after embolization and contrasted the findings with normal (CON) dogs. Acute embolization produced sustained LV volume enlargement and increased wall thickness, reduction of LV ejection fraction and elevated end-diastolic pressures; resting catecholamine levels were also increased.

Pulmonary venous flow in cardiac tamponade: influence of left ventricular dysfunction and the relation to pulsus paradoxus.

The pattern of left atrial filling was studied in nine closed-chest dogs during cardiac tamponade before and after production of microembolic left ventricular dysfunction produced by intracoronary injection of 54 +/- 4 microns (SD) microspheres. With cardiac tamponade, a significant increase in the ratio of systolic/diastolic pulmonary venous flow velocity integral both before (1.65 +/- 0.