Calcium effect on performance of the heart

Abstract

Calcium, as the 10% gluconate, was rapidly infused into the venous circulation of the dog "coronary flow" preparation. It was also infused into the aortic circulation perfusing the heart of the "isovolumic" preparation, in which an otherwise empty, beating left ventricle was filled with a known volume of fluid contained within a slack latex balloon. In the coronary flow preparation, calcium was found to: a) increase heart rate, b) leave aortic blood pressure unchanged, c) increase the velocity of the left ventricular pressure rise, d) decrease the circumference of the left ventricle, and e) increase the coronary flow and myocardial oxygen consumption per beat in relation to the existing mean aortic pressure. In the isovolumic preparation calcium increased the peak ventricular pressure at a given balloon volume, but had no effect on the ratio relating myocardial O₂ consumption to heart rate and left ventricular pressure developed. In both preparations O₂ extraction was decreased. In addition, indirect evidence for the Fenn effect in the contraction of the intact heart is presented.