2014 Volume 52 Issue Supplement Pages O-82-O-83
We have shown that electrical vagal stimulation (VS) markedly prevents cardiac remodeling and improves long-term survival in post-myocardial infarction (MI) rats survived for 2 weeks. It is well known that death within 2 weeks is mainly caused by lethal arrhythmia. We, therefore, started VS from an early stage after MI and examined its effects. One hour after left coronary artery ligation, VS or sham stimulation (SS) was started and continued for 4 weeks. The impact of VS was evaluated by deaths, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, neurohumoral states and histological examination. VS significantly suppressed mortality within 24 hours (7% vs. 39%, p=0.02) and decreased heart rate (294±36 vs. 328±9 bpm, p=0.03). VS significantly prevented the progression of ventricular remodeling and improved indices of cardiac function. It is concluded that VS from an early phase of MI markedly suppressed arrhythmic death within 24 hours and prevented cardiac remodeling and dysfunction after acute MI.
