Where a full thickness infarct has occurred with replacement of myocardium by fibrous tissue, this inert portion of the ventricular wall cannot take part in concentric contraction and herniates outwards during ventricular systole. This localized disturbance of ventricular contraction after acute myocardial infarction is seen not only in large ventricular aneurysms but alsowith smaller full thic...

A 75-year-old woman with Child B primary biliary cirrhosis under treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid was hospitalized for edematous ascitic decompensation related with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, which was treated with intravenous ciprofloxacin. On the third day, she had an onset of anginal pain, anterior wall ST-segment elevation, and cardiogenic shock. Urgent catheterization showed an ...

A DECREASE in cardiac efficiency is observed in dogs submitted to endotoxic shock, acute hemorrhage, and after heart-lung bypass. This may result from diminished coronary blood flow, tissue hypoxia, or lower oxygen tension of arterial blood in the cases of endotoxic shock and acute hemorrhage. The otiology of a shocklike syndrome following cardiopulmonary bypass has been studied by Brom and Nau...

The effect of hypertonicity on the electrical properties of vertebrate myocardial cells was studied in ventricular muscle fibers of guinea pig, cat, frog, and chicken. The latter two species do not have a T-tubule system, whereas the former two do. In hypertonic solutions (2 x isotonic) produced by addition of sucrose or excess of NaCl, cell diameter decreased and there was a slight hyperpolari...

Endogenous fragments of extracellular matrix are known to possess various biological effects. Levels of endostatin, a fragment of collagen type XVIII, increase in certain cardiac diseases, such as cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial infarction. However, the influence of endostatin on cardiac contraction has not been clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effects of endostatin on br...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to analyze stable hypertrophied myocardial function and its response to inotropic maneuvers in rats submitted to renovascular hypertension for a 10-week period (RHT group, n=10). MATERIAL/METHODS Myocardial performance was studied in isolated left ventricle papillary muscles in isometric contraction under the following conditions: at postrest contraction o...

Myocardial blood flow occurs during the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle, because myocardial contraction during the systolic phase impedes myocardial perfusion. Using laser Doppler perfusion technique, we studied the effect of esophageal contraction on the esophageal wall perfusion. Studies were conducted in rats. A laser Doppler probe was anchored to the esophageal wall, and wall perfusion...

The nature, prevalence, functional significance, and indeed existence of myocardial disease in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) has been debated. In this study the clinical and pathological features of 52 autopsied patients were analyzed in an attempt to resolve these questions. A distinctive focal myocardial lesion ranging from contraction band necrosis to replacement fibrosis throughout b...

tolic function will improve after coronary revascularization (viability testing) [3]. In general, stress CMR is frequently performed with one of two protocols. The more commonly used protocol is myocardial perfusion imaging, which involves intravenous administration of a vasodilator (i.e., adenosine). Stress perfusion CMR allows the evaluation of resting LV contraction as well as detection of m...

Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is a novel device-based therapy for heart failure that involves applying electrical signals during the absolute refractory period of the myocardial action potential. This therapy has been shown to augment the strength of left ventricular contraction independent of myocardial oxygen consumption in animal models as well as human studies of patients with hear...