Vol. 282, Issue 5, H1787-H1792, May 2002
Sildenafil-nitric oxide donor combination promotes
ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the swine right ventricle
Moshe
Swissa,
Toshihiko
Ohara,
Moon-Hyoung
Lee,
Sanjay
Kaul,
Prediman K.
Shah,
Hideki
Hayashi,
Peng-Sheng
Chen, and
Hrayr S.
Karagueuzian
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 90048; and University of
California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095
We tested the
hypothesis that sildenafil, singly or in combination with nitric oxide
(NO) donors, promotes ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular
fibrillation (VF). Vulnerability to VT/VF was tested by rapid pacing in
eight isolated normal swine right ventricles (RV). The endocardial
activation was optically mapped, and the dynamic action potential
duration (APD) restitution curves were constructed with metal
microelectrodes. At baseline, no VT/VF could be induced. Sildenafil
(0.2 µg/ml) or NO donor singly or in combination did not alter VT/VF
vulnerability. However, when 2 µg/ml sildenafil was combined with NO
donors, the incidence of VT and VF rose significantly
(P < 0.01). VT with a single periodic wavefront was
induced in five of eight RVs, and VF with multiple wavefronts was
induced in all eight RVs. The sildenafil-NO donor pro-VT/VF combination
significantly increased the maximum slope of the APD restitution curve
and the amplitude of the APD alternans. The pro-VT/VF effects of
sildenafil were reversible after drug-free Tyrode solution perfusion.
We conclude that a sildenafil (2 µg/ml) and NO donor combination
increases VT/VF vulnerability in the normal RV by a mechanism
compatible with the restitution hypothesis.
ventricular fibrillation; electrical stimulation