Vagal stimulation after acute coronary occlusion: The heart rate matters
Abstract
Background: There is a well documented causal link between autonomic imbalance and cardiac electrical instability. However, the mechanisms underlying the antiarrhythmic effect of vagal stimulation are poorly understood. The vagal antiarrhythmic effect might be modulated by a decrease in heart rate.
Methods: The proximal anterior interventricular artery was occluded in 16 pigs by clamping under general anaesthesia. Group 1: heart rates remained spontaneous (n = 6; 12 occlusions); Group 2: heart rates were fixed at 190 bpm with atrial electrical stimulation (n = 10; 20 occlusions). Each pig received two occlusions, 30 min apart, one without and one with vagal stimulation (10 Hz, 2 ms, 5–20 mA). The antiarrhythmic effect of vagal activation was defined as the time to the appearance of ventricular fibrillation (VF) after occlusion.
Results: In Group 1, vagal stimulation triggered a significant decrease in basal heart rate (132 ± 4 vs. 110 ± 17 bpm, p < 0.05), and delayed the time to VF after coronary occlusion (1102 ± 85 vs. 925 ± ± 41 s, p < 0.05). In Group 2, vagal stimulation did not modify the time to VF (103 ± 39 vs. 91 ± 20 s). Analyses revealed that heart rate and the time to VF were positively linearly related.
Conclusions: Maintaining a constant heart rate with atrial electrical stimulation in pigs prevented vagal stimulation from modifying the time to VF after acute coronary occlusion.
Keywords: vagal stimulationmyocardial ischemiasudden deathmyocardial infarctionventricular fibrillationheart rate
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