Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 41, Issue 3 356-361, Copyright © 1976 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Depressed myocardial function in the goat at high altitude

C. E. Tucker, W. E. James, M. A. Berry, C. J. Johnstone and R. F. Grover

To determine if depressed myocardial function contributes to the reported decrease in cardiac performance at high altitude, six chronically instrumented, unsedated goats were studied before, during, and after 2-wk exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (PaO2 44 mmHg). Undistorted ventricular pressure wave form was obtained from a miniature transducer implanted in the left ventricular cavity. The relationship between (dP/dt)/28P and P was extrapolated to obtain Vmax as an index of myocardial function. With beta sympathetic blockade (practolol) and pacing to reproduce heart rates, Vmax was uniformly and significantly depressed (P less than 0.01) during chronic hypoxia, and returned to control values following descent to low altitude. Likewise, stroke volume following saline infusion was decreased at high altitude and returned to control values following descent. Acute relief of hypoxia at high altitude by administration of 100% oxygen by mask did not reverse the depressed Vmax. These findings indicate that chronic hypobaric hypoxia produces a depression of myocardial function which is reversible by chronic but not acute relief of hypoxia.