Improvement of myocardial perfusion in coronary patients after intermittent hypobaric hypoxia.
BACKGROUND
Persons living at high altitude (exposed to hypoxia) have a greater number of coronary and peripheral branches in the heart than persons living at sea level. In this study we investigated the effect of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia on myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary heart disease.


RESULTS
We studied 6 male patients (aged>or=53 years) with severe stable coronary heart disease. All patients were born at sea level and lived in that environment. They underwent 14 sessions of exposure to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent to a simulated altitude of 4200 m). Myocardial perfusion was assessed at baseline and after treatment with hypoxia by use of exercise perfusion imaging with technetium 99m sestamibi. After the sessions of hypoxia, myocardial perfusion was significantly improved. The summed stress score for hypoperfusion, in arbitrary units, decreased from 9.5+ to 4.5+ after treatment (P=.036). There was no evidence of impairment of myocardial perfusion in any patient after treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Intermittent hypobaric hypoxia improved myocardial perfusion in patients with severe coronary heart disease. Though preliminary, our results suggest that exposure to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia could be an alternative for the management of patients with chronic coronary heart disease.
del Pilar Valle
Maria
M
Hospital Central de Aeronáutica, Peruvian Air Force, and Instituto Nacional de Biología Andina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru.
García-Godos
Félix
F
Woolcott
Orison O
OO
Marticorena
José M
JM
Rodríguez
Víctor
V
Gutiérrez
Isabel
I
Fernández-Dávila
Luis
L
Contreras
Abel
A
Valdivia
Luis
L
Robles
Juan
J
Marticorena
Emilio A
EA
D002908:Chronic Disease; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi