The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 46, 391-395, Copyright © 1988 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Right ventricular free wall isolation: effects on regional myocardial blood flow
RJ Damiano Jr, T Asano, PK Smith, TB Ferguson Jr and JL Cox
Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
The right ventricular isolation procedure was developed to treat medically
refractory, nonischemic right ventricular tachycardia. The effect of this
procedure on regional myocardial blood flow to the isolated right ventricle
was evaluated in 10 adult mongrel dogs. There were no significant changes
in aortic pressure, right ventricular systolic or diastolic pressure, or
cardiac index following right ventricular isolation when the left ventricle
and right ventricular free wall were synchronously paced. Myocardial blood
flow to the isolated right ventricle was unchanged following the procedure
(0.85 +/- 0.07 ml/min/gm to 0.87 +/- 0.08 ml/min/gm; p = not significant).
Analysis of regional flow revealed that only a thin rim of right
ventricular tissue near the ventriculotomy showed a significant decrease in
blood flow (1.10 +/- 0.1 ml/min/gm to 0.29 +/- 0.04 ml/min/gm; p less than
0.05). Thus, this procedure leaves intact the blood supply to the great
percentage of the right ventricular free wall. This finding supports the
concept that the right ventricular isolation procedure is effective in
isolating abnormal electrical activity without compromising regional
myocardial blood flow.