Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1995-5-30
pubmed:abstractText
It is commonly believed that pulsatile flow generated by the pumping action of the heart is dampened out by the time it reaches the microcirculation. In clinical practice, most of the cardiopulmonary bypass pumps and ventricular assist devices are nonpulsatile. To test the hypothesis that pulsatile flow generated by the heart does exist at the microvascular level, intravital microscopy of a large animal model (goat) was developed to visualize and to videorecord the surface microcirculation of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle from the right forelimb. Density of perfused capillaries and red blood cell velocity in capillaries were measured in five goats during pulsatile perfusion provided by the heart and during a subsequent 3-hr period of nonpulsatile perfusion provided by a centrifugal ventricular assist device (Centrimed, Sarns 3M) that bypassed the heart. Throughout the experiment, the heart rate, innominate artery mean blood pressure, and flow remained unchanged. During the pulsatile regimen, velocities showed regular fluctuations that coincided with the period of the cardiac cycle (range of periods: 0.5-0.8 sec). The peak velocity amplitudes (range: 0.25-0.55 mm/sec) correlated directly with the amplitude of the pulse pressure. During the nonpulsatile regimen, no such correlations were seen. During pulsatile flow and during the 3-hr nonpulsatile period, capillary density remained stable at 24 capillaries/mm of test line but there were significant increases in red cell velocity, from 0.8 to 1.2 mm/sec (P < 0.05), and in coefficient of variation of velocity (used as an index of flow heterogeneity), from 19 to 34% (P < 0.05). We conclude that (1) pulsatility exists in the capillary bed and that it directly correlates with the pumping action of the heart and (2) nonpulsatile flow produced by the ventricular assist device does not cause an acute deterioration in microvascular perfusion. We interpret the increase in heterogeneity of flow as an early sign of microvascular dysfunction. Prolonged use of the nonpulsatile device may, therefore, lead to deterioration in perfusion that could compromize the function of the organ.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0026-2862
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
48
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
316-27
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1994
pubmed:articleTitle
Evaluation of pulsatile and nonpulsatile flow in capillaries of goat skeletal muscle using intravital microscopy.
pubmed:affiliation
Division of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't