Beneficial effects of intravenous iron therapy in a rat model of heart failure with preserved systemic iron status but depleted intracellular cardiac stores.

Iron deficiency (ID) commonly occurs in chronic heart failure (HF) and is associated with poor prognosis. Neither its causes nor pathophysiological significance are clearly understood. We aimed to assess iron status and the effect of iron supplementation in the rat model of post-myocardial infarction (MI) HF.

Acute Heart Rate-Dependent Hemodynamic Function of the Heart in the Post-Myocardial Infarction Rat Model: Change Over Time.

Background: Optimal heart rate (HR) for acute hemodynamic efficiency in heart failure (HF) is unknown.

Methods: Wistar-Kyoto rats were followed-up for 3 and 7 days, 1 or 2 months after myocardial infarction (MI) or sham operation (ShO) and left ventricle (LV) pressure-volume (PV) loops were obtained at various HRs: baseline 400 beats per minute (bpm), reduced by ivabradine to 320 bpm, increased by atrial pacing to 480 bpm, under normal conditions and after preload increase (PI).

Results: In the ShO group, PI augmented cardiac output (CO) by 55%, 67%, 84% at reduced, baseline, and increased HR, respectively.