Comparative assessment of right ventricular performance from the pressure-volume relationship in double-muscled and conventional calves.

Forty-one and 55 records of right-sided and systemic arterial pressures, cardiac output, and end-diastolic and end-systolic right ventricular volumes were collected from a group of 6 conventional and 6 double-muscled calves, respectively. In each group, the mean right ventricular pressure-volume loop was constructed. Global cardiac performance was significantly lower in the double-muscled than in the conventional calves. The right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, as well as the diastolic portion of the mean pressure-volume loop, were similar in the 2 groups. Those results suggest that the reduced cardiac performance of double-muscled calves is not due to a lowered ventricular preload and that diastolic properties of their myocardium are similar to those of conventional calves. When expressed on a body weight basis, however, the right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were lower in the double-muscled than in conventional calves. When expressed as a function of probable metabolic demand, therefore, the volumetric capacity of the cardiac pump appears to be reduced in double-muscled calves. The significantly lower right ventricular ejection fraction, maximal rate of ventricular pressure rise and right ventricular peak-systolic pressure to end-systolic volume ratio measured in double-muscled as compared with conventional calves suggest that reduced myocardial contractility may also be partly responsible for the significantly lower stroke index of the former calves. The cardiac pump of double-muscled cattle thus seems to be less effective than that of conventional cattle because of reduced volumetric capacity and lowered strength of contraction.