Ventricular performance and myocardial water content during hemodilution in dogs.

In dogs anesthetized with chloralose-urethan on right heart bypass, left ventricular (LV) performance was assessed at constant LV stroke work before and for up to 2.5 h after crystalloid hemodilution was established. Lowering the hematocrit from 43.3 +/- 1.3% to 13.6 +/- 1.7% (SE) did not significantly change LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) initially. After 80 min LVEDP increased slightly by 1.7 +/- 0.6 cmH2O (P less than 0.05) at a stroke work of 17.3 +/- 2.3 g.m. The value of dP/dt did not change significantly throughout. When LV function curves were generated by increasing cardiac output, the stroke work attained at an LVEDP of 10 cmH2O decreased with hemodilution from 23.9 +/- 3.5 to 20.8 +/- 3.9 g.m (NS). LV wall water content increased with hemodilution, from which it could be calculated that there was an 18.6% increase in LV mass. Thus, despite an increase in LV external girth demonstrated by LV circumferential gauges, it is possible that increased wall thickness due to the water gain resulted in little change or an actual decrease in LV end-diastolic volume. Thus, profound hemodilution can be attained with only slight depression of LV performance.