Production of chronic congestive heart failure by rapid ventricular pacing in the rabbit.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to produce a model of low output congestive heart failure by rapid pacing in rabbits.


METHODS
To perform rapid pacing in rabbits, a custom made pacemaker was developed which is light (about 80 g) and can pace at up to 400 beats.min-1 for more than two weeks. A thoracotomy was done and two electrodes were sutured onto the left ventricle. A central venous pressure line was chronically implanted. With the use of this pacemaker, rabbits were paced at 350-400 beats.min-1 for several weeks.


RESULTS
Central venous pressure increased from 1.4(SEM 0.2) to 6.4(0.5) mm Hg (p < 0.01, n = 14). After pacing for 16.1(1.6) d, haemodynamic studies were performed under anaesthesia with thiamylal sodium. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure was higher in the paced rabbits (n = 10) than in the control rabbits which underwent sham operation but were not paced (n = 6), at -0.6(0.6) v 19.3(2.0) mm Hg (p < 0.01). Cardiac output [673(56) v 536(45) ml.min-1, p < 0.10] and +dP/dt [1433(97) v 722(51) mm Hg.s-1, p < 0.01] were lower in the paced rabbits (n = 7-8) than in the control rabbits (n = 6). The paced rabbits had more ascites [1.9(1.0) v 45.9(18.9) ml, p < 0.05] and pleural effusion [0.4(0.3) v 12.9(6.7) ml, p < 0.10] than control rabbits. Plasma noradrenaline was higher in the paced rabbits (n = 11) than in the control rabbits (n = 7), at 1.59(0.43) v 0.60(0.05) ng.ml-1 (p < 0.05). The ratio of wet heart weight or lung weight to body weight was higher (p < 0.01) in the paced rabbits than in the control rabbits.


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic biventricular congestive heart failure can be produced in rabbits by rapid pacing.
Masaki
H
H
Research Institute of Angiocardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Imaizumi
T
T
Ando
S
S
Hirooka
Y
Y
Harada
S
S
Momohara
M
M
Nagano
M
M
Takeshita
A
A
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
D012083:Renin; D009638:Norepinephrine