An isothermic flow microcalorimeter system for fluid rates of 1-50 cm3 min -1 has been developed to measure the total heat flow produced by isolated perfused small animal hearts and its rate of change. The heat, which is absorbed by the perfusion fluid flowing through the coronary capillary system, is detected by passing the coronary effluent through a plate heat exchanger mounted in intimate contact with the internal surface of a gradient layer calorimeter. By employing electrical calibration, this heat flow detector gives a precision of +/- 0.2 m W for average effluent rates of about 15 cm3 min-1. The method provides direct comparison of the biologically produced heat flow with electrically generated energy flows. The response time to step changes in heat flow is 1 min to 90% of the total change. Possible systematic errors are analysed and quantified, using a heart bypass flow technique and a thermoelectric differential temperature meter. The accuracy of the measurement of constant heat sources with the complete system over the range of 5-40 mW is +/- 2% for fluid rates up to 40 cm3 min-1. Measurements with small rat hearts have given absolute values between 17 and 36 mW measured with an accuracy of +/- 3%. The rate of total myocardial energy turnover can be studied with the system.

A constant temperature perfusion system employing four heat exchangers has been developed in which perfusion fluid is heated from room temperature to 37 +/- 10 -4 degrees C for precision heat flow measurements on isolated working rat hearts. The temperature characteristics have been established and mathematical expressions developed to identify and quantify spurious thermal events. The system is a refinement of existing perfusion systems for metabolic and mechanical investigations which meets the complete requirements of myocardial energetics. It can also be used for experiments which include high precision temperature measurements on isolated working hearts or for thermal investigations on other isolated perfused organs where a highly stabilised temperature base line is required over perfusion flows from 0-100 cm3 min -1.