title: Early predictors of cardiac decompensation in experimental volume overload.
abstract: In humans, volume overload (VOL) increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, but there is also important inter-individual variability, presumably because of differences in genetic backgrounds. Although VOL has rapid effects on myocardial properties, it is not known to which extent the severity of these early responses correlate with the effect of sustained VOL on mortality. In order to test this question, we induced VOL in male rats from two genetically distinct strains [i.e., Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Wistar Kyoto-derived Hyperactive (WKHA) rats] by creating a surgical aorto-caval fistula (ACF). Only 36% of SD rats remained alive after 39 weeks of ACF, in contrast to 82% of the operated WKHA rats. We also monitored myocardial hemodynamic function, mitochondrial properties, left ventricular (LV) morphology and LV wall diastolic properties at different times ranging from 2 to 12 weeks after either ACF or sham surgery. ACF had a rapid impact on the LV walls of both rat strains, but the only variables that were affected to a greater extent in the mortality-prone SD strain were normalized LV weight, LV cavity area, and myocardial wall stiffness. In contrast, there were only marginal strain-related differences in the way ACF affected hemodynamic and mitochondrial functions. Thus, while early morphologic responses of LV walls to ACF (along with their downstream consequences on myocardial diastolic wall stress) correlated well with strain-dependent differences in late mortality, other functional changes showed no predictive effects. Close monitoring of early changes in cardiac geometry (as well as new methods to analyze myocardial diastolic strain) might, therefore, be helpful to further improve risk stratification in humans with volume overload cardiopathies.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Cardiovascular Biology Research Unit, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oliver-Dussault
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ascah
authors.forename: Mariannick
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcil
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matas
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pibarot
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Burelle
authors.forename: Christian F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Deschepper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D003971:Diastole; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen