Characteristics of chronic left ventricular hypertrophy induced by subcoronary valvular aortic stenosis. II. Response to ischemia.

The increased susceptibility of hearts with chronic left ventricular hypertrophy (CLVH) to damage during ischemia has been suggested but not documented. The purpose of this study was to isolate ischemic events in hearts with CLVH from reperfusion events. Using physiological and biochemical parameters, we compared the rate and extent of myocardial injury during ischemic contracture between eight canine hearts with CLVH induced by subcoronary valvular aortic stenosis and 14 normal canine hearts. Preischemic myocardial blood flow was determined by injection of tracer microspheres. During cardiopulmonary bypass, each heart was instrumented with a left ventricular balloon and made globally ischemic. At control, contracture initiation, and contracture completion left ventricular transmural biopsy specimens were assayed for subepicardial and subendocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP). Mitochondrial respiratory control indices for NAD-linked and FAD-linked substrates were measured. Preischemic endocardial blood flow in hearts with CLVH was significantly lower than in normal hearts. At control, subendocardial ATP and CP and the respiratory control index for NAD-linked substrate were significantly lower in hearts with CLVH than in normal hearts. Hearts with CLVH reached contracture initiation significantly sooner than normal hearts. All hearts demonstrated significant decreases in high-energy phosphate content and mitochondrial function during ischemia. Reperfusion injury notwithstanding, we concluded that hearts wih CLVH are more susceptible to ischemic injury than are normal hearts, perhaps related to lower endocardial blood flow, lower subendocardial high-energy phosphate stores, and depressed mitochondrial function prior to ischemia.