Diaphragmatic intramuscular pressure in relation to tension, shortening, and blood flow.

We used an in situ isolated diaphragmatic preparation in anesthetized dogs to relate intramuscular pressure (IMP) to the blood flow, tension, and shortening of the diaphragm. In this preparation, the diaphragm shortens in a fashion similar to the intact diaphragm. Tension was measured by transducers attached to the left costal margin, which was detached from the rib cage and abdomen; IMP was measured by a miniature transducer placed between muscle fibers; length was measured by sonomicrometry; and diaphragmatic blood flow was monitored by measuring left phrenic arterial flow. In protocol 1, the relationships between tension, shortening, and IMP were assessed by stimulating the diaphragm for 2 s at various frequencies. Tension and shortening increased with increasing stimulation frequency up to 50 Hz with no change thereafter. Tension was linearly related to IMP. Similarly, there was a linear relationship between the degree of shortening and IMP; however, the slopes varied considerably between dogs. In protocol 2, the diaphragm was paced intermittently (12 trains/min, duty cycle of 0.5) with a gradual increase in stimulation frequency. Blood flow during contraction phase rose slightly at low tension and then declined significantly when tension exceeded 30% of maximum, whereas relaxation-phase flow increased with the increase in tension. IMP rose linearly with the increase in tension, and the IMP, at the point where contraction-phase flow became severely limited, was 50 +/- 14 mmHg (mean +/- SE). We conclude the following. 1) IMP is linearly related to tension and shortening; however, because tension and shortening changed simultaneously during contractions, the independent relationship of either tension or shortening and IMP remained untested.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)