Towards the Non-Invasive Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intra-Aortic Counterpulsation: Experimental Results in Myocardial Ischemia and Heart Failure

Intra-aortic counterpulsation (IACP) is used to treat severe acute heart failure. The diastolic pressure augmentation is quantified using the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR). A new index was developed by our group to evaluate the effectiveness of IACP analyzing the ratio between the diastolic and systolic areas beneath the aortic pressure curve (DABAC/SABAC). This index was validated in experimental animals undergoing heart failure and ischemic myocardial depression. Since coronary disease is the most common cause of heart failure, this new index should be validated in an animal model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. In this work, we developed an animal model of heart failure, with an ischemic episode followed by myocardial reperfusion, treated with IACP during the reperfusion stage. The effects of IACP were evaluated using both SEVR and DABAC/SABAC, and their relationship was analyzed.