Myocardial damage after repetitive direct current shock in the dog: correlation between left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and extent of myocardial necrosis

Acute myocardial necrosis was produced in 27 anesthetized dogs by repetitive DC 75 joule shock delivered with one electrode in the left ventricular cavity and the other on the left chest wall. A total of 1 shock/kg body weight delivered at 10 sec intervals resulted in discrete anterior wall necrosis of 7% to 31% (mean, 17.6%) of the mass of left ventricular myocardium. After some transient bradycardia, normal sinus rhythm was restored. Depression of left ventricular function 15 min after shock (rise in LVEDP from 4.0 ± 1.5 to 17 ± 2 mm Hg and fall in cardiac output from 2.29 ± 0.24 to 1.82 ± 0.12 L/min) recovered only slightly during the ensuing 2 hr. A significant correlation (r=0.85) was observed between the LVEDP at 2 hr after shock and the extent of necrosis determined histochemically and histologically at the time of sacrifice 3 hr after shock. Thus, in this form of acute myocardial damage, pump dysfunction is closely related to the area of necrosis.