Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Zaha, V
• Grohmann, J
• Göbel, H
• Geibel, A
• Beyersdorf, F
• Doenst, T

Titel

Experimental model for heart failure in rats--induction and diagnosis

Ist Teil von

• The Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, 2003-08, Vol.51 (4), p.211-215

Ort / Verlag

Germany

Erscheinungsjahr

2003

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Clinical heart failure is generally preceded by hypertrophy. Many animal models (e. g. toxic heart failure models) do not consider this hypertrophy. We set out to develop a heart failure model in rats by inducing pressure-overload hypertrophy. We induced coarctation of the aortic arch with a tantalum clip (0.35 mm internal diameter) In 3-week-old rats (n=17). Starting at seven weeks postoperatively, we measured ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), end-systolic (LVESD) and end-diastolic (LVEDD) left ventricular dimensions by echocardiography each week. Heart, lung, and liver specimens were analyzed histopathologically at least eleven weeks after the operation. Contractile function was significantly decreased in hearts from animals with aortic banding (EF: 45+/-5% vs. 73+/-5%, p<0.01; FS: 20+/-3% vs. 35+/-5%, p<0.01). At the same time, left ventricles were dilated (LVEDD: 9.1+/-0.6 mm vs. 7.4+/-0.5 mm; LVESD: 7.3+/-0.6 mm vs. 4.8+/-0.4 mm, p<0.01). These observations were associated with clinical and histopathological changes characteristic for chronic left heart failure. Placing a tantalum clip around the aortic arch in 3-week-old rats consistently induces left ventricular decrease in contractile function and dilatation after eleven weeks.