Coronary flow in a perfused rainbow trout heart.

A preparation was developed to perfuse the coronary circulation in working hearts from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson). The preparation was used to examine pressure-flow relationships for the coronary circulation as the heart generated physiological and subphysiological work loads. Coronary vascular resistance increased exponentially as coronary flow rate decreased. Coronary resistance was also influenced by cardiac metabolism and acclimation temperature. When heart rate was increased, extravascular compression increased in coronary resistance. Direct vasoconstriction of the coronary vessels, produced by injections of adrenaline into the coronary circulation, was temperature-dependent.