Intravenous lipid infusion results in myocardial lipid droplet accumulation combined with reduced myocardial performance in heparinized rabbits.

The question addressed in this study was whether a relation between myocardial lipid droplet accumulation and depressed myocardial function existed following intralipid infusion for 45 min in open chest, anaesthetized rabbits. One group of rabbits (n = 8) received intralipid infusion whereas a control group (n = 8) received sodium chloride. Local myocardial performance was obtained by sonomicrometry and the fractional volume of myocardial lipid droplets was measured by morphometric methods. The fractional volume of lipid droplets was 0.667 +/- 0.116% in the intralipid group compared with 0.318 +/- 0.080% in the control group (P < 0.03). Cardiac output and stroke volume fell 26% (P < 0.0001) and 34% (P < 0.0001), respectively, as a result of intralipid infusion. However, myocardial blood flow obtained by radiolabelled microspheres remained unchanged. Local myocardial function was reduced for both segments after intralipid infusion; maximal systolic shortening was reduced from 15.63 +/- 1.45 to 12.07 +/- 1.55% (P < 0.002) in the circumferential segment and from 9.46 +/- 1.17 to 7.40 +/- 0.53% (P < 0.05) in the longitudinal segment. The end-diastolic length of the circumferential segment was reduced by 3% (P < 0.05) after intralipid infusion. The reduced end-diastolic length of circumferential segments together with unchanged left ventricular end-diastolic pressure might indicate reduced left ventricular end-diastolic compliance. We conclude that acute intralipid infusion in rabbits results in myocardial lipid droplet accumulation and depressed local myocardial function.