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Heart Contraction and Coronary Blood Flow

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Recent Advances in Coronary Circulation

Summary

Heart contraction is the cause of pulsatile coronary arterial and venous flow. It also reduces time-averaged flow through the myocardium, also referred to as myocardial perfusion. The impediment of myocardial perfusion is predominantly subendocardial, which for a long time resulted in the paradigm that this impediment was caused by a tissue pressure coupled to left ventricular pressure. However, it has recently been shown that heart muscle contraction directly affects coronary blood flow. A unique concept of contraction-perfusion interaction is lacking. Both contractility and left ventricular pressure do affect coronary perfusion, but are mutually dependent. An important determinant for the contraction-perfusion interaction appears to be the filling of the intramyocardial vasculature and the structure of the connections between vessel walls and myocytes. Different aspects of the contraction-perfusion interaction are considered, including the effect of contraction on lymph pressure.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Informatics, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jos. A. E. Spaan

Authors
  1. Jos. A. E. Spaan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Fukushima Medical College, Hikarigaoka 1, 960-12, Fukushima, Japan

    Yukio Maruyama M.D., Ph.D. (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  2. Department of Medical Engineering and Systems Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, 701-01, Kurashiki, Japan

    Fumihiko Kajiya M.D., Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

  3. Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, 94143-0130, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Julien I. E. Hoffman M.D. (Professor of Pediatrics, Senior Staff Member) (Professor of Pediatrics, Senior Staff Member)

  4. University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jos A. E. Spaan Ph.D. (Professor of Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine) (Professor of Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine)

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Tokyo

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Spaan, J.A.E. (1993). Heart Contraction and Coronary Blood Flow. In: Maruyama, Y., Kajiya, F., Hoffman, J.I.E., Spaan, J.A.E. (eds) Recent Advances in Coronary Circulation. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68249-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68249-3_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-68251-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-68249-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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