Ischemic preconditioning has not been assessed in an experimental model for myocardial preservation during
heart transplantation. Using isolated working rat hearts, ischemic preconditioning was investigated as an adjunct to isolated hypothermic (group 1),
crystalloid (group 2: University of Wisconsin
solution; group 3:
St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution II; group 4: Bretschneiders'
cardioplegic solution), and noncrystalloid (group 5: cold blood
cardioplegia) preservation during a 10-hr period of global
ischemia at 4 degrees C. After acquisition of functional baseline data, ischemic preconditioning was induced with one cycle of 5 min of normothermic
ischemia and 5 min of reperfusion before induction of global hypothermic
ischemia (n= 10/group). Nonpreconditioned hearts (n= 10/group) were assessed for control. Ischemic preconditioning improved postischemic: functional recovery. Thus, aortic flow after 60 min of reperfusion recovered to 0%, 8%, 0%, 1% and 0% in control groups 1 to 5 without ischemic preconditioning and 21%, 25%, 10%, 8%, and 3% in groups 1 to 5 with ischemic preconditioning. The same pattern of recovery was observed in regard to postischemic maximum developed left ventricular pressure, which recovered to 21%, 56%, 30%, 36%, and 19% in groups 1 to 5 without preconditioning and 46%, 75%, 49%, 40%, and 47% in the corresponding groups with ischemic preconditioning. High-energy
phosphate contents were not significantly different between preconditioned hearts and corresponding nonpreconditioned control hearts.
Creatine kinase leakage during early reperfusion was found to be reduced with ischemic preconditioning. Thus, we have demonstrated that ischemic preconditioning can improve contractile function after global hypothermic
ischemia in the isolated rat heart and we have shown that this protection is additive to that of
hypothermia-induced protection during global
ischemia at 4 degrees C. This endogenous mechanism of cardioprotection was effective regardless of whether preservation was accomplished using
cardioplegic solution or topical
hypothermia alone. This may have clinical implications in myocardial preservation for
heart transplantation.