Establishment of a modified canine model of acute cardiac insufficiency

Objective To establish a canine model of acute cardiac insufficiency (ACI) by coronary artery occlusion and right ventricular pacing. Methods Twelve dogs were subjected to rapid ventricular pacing after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), to induce the cardiac output (CO) to reduce by 25% and 50% from the basal level. The arterial pressure (AP), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), mean right atrial pressure (mRAP), mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mPCWP), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were measured in the dogs according to different CO conditions. Echocardiography was used to measure the cardiac size and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Results CO was decreased by 25% and 50% steadily from the basal level after right ventricular pacing following ligation of the LAD. AP and SaO2 decreased while mRAP, mPCWP, and SVR increased significantly following CO reduction. The cardiac cavity became larger while LVEF decreased after CO was decreased by 25% and 50%. Conclusion Canine model of ACI can be successfully established by right ventricular pacing following ligation of the LAD.