Using an isolated rat heart preparation (Langendorff perfusion, perfusion pressure 100 cm H2O) the correlation between the high-energy phosphate content and various left ventricular (lv) functional parameters of the hypertrophied heart (spontaneous hypertensive rats lv/body weight ratio 3.6 +/- 0.5 x 10(-3) was determined after normo- (30 min) and hypothermic (25 degrees C, 120 min) cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion, and compared with normal hearts (Wistar rats lv/body weight ratio 2.0 +/- 0.3 x 10(-3). St. Thomas Hospital solution was used as the cardioplegic agent. Before ischemia hypertrophied hearts had a significantly higher developed left ventricular pressure, pressure rate product and dp/dtmax, but a significantly lower ATP and total adenine nucleotide content. Irrespective of the mode and temperature of cardiac arrest there was a strong correlation both for normal and for hypertrophied hearts between the high-energy phosphate content expressed as ATP, total adenine nucleotides or the "energy charge" and the left ventricular functional parameters pressure rate product and dp/dtmax. The correlation coefficient ranged from 0.80 to 0.89 and was highest when the ATP content was plotted against pressure rate product (r = 0.89). There was a different slope for normal and hypertrophied hearts with a steeper decline of the left ventricular function in hypertrophied hearts for any given reduction of the myocardial adenine nucleotide content. Our results indicate that a similar reduction of the ATP or total adenine nucleotide content in both the normal and hypertrophied heart reduces left ventricular function to a greater degree in the hypertrophied heart.

The atrial baffle repair (ABR) significantly improved the fate of patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA). However, these patients show impaired exercise tolerance and some present severe decline of systemic ventricular function. Intrinsic myocardial weakness, low heart rate response to exercise and diastolic filling impairment are discussed to be causative. Forty-nine long-term survivors with TGA (median age 23.7 year) after ABR were catheterized with measured oxygen consumption in four conditions (baseline, volume, atrial pacing, dobutamine) and the results were compared to 10 normal controls. Median cardiac output was significantly lower in the ABR group (2.2 vs. 2.6 l/min/m; p = 0.015), and systemic resistance was significantly elevated (28.9 vs. 22.2 U m; p = 0.04) in comparison with normals. While stroke volume rose by 27% in the control group, it dropped by 7% in patients after ABR at atrial pacing (80/min). Stroke volume increase after dobutamine was significantly lower after ABR in comparison with normal controls (34 vs. 106%; p = 0.001). Higher NYHA class (p = 0.043), degree of tricuspid regurgitation (p = 0.009) and ventricular function (p = 0.028) were associated with lower stroke volume increase. Limited exercise capability of patients after ABR for TGA is primarily due to limited diastolic filling of the ventricles due to stiff non-compliant atrial pathways. Elevated systemic resistance may lead to severe myocardial hypertrophy with possible ischemia and contribute to the multifactorial decline of ventricular function in some patients.

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