artículo
Ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery. Surgical technique
Autor
Olivares R., Gabriel
Moran V., Sergio
Palacios M., Cristian
Apablaza E., Felipe
Godoy J., Ivan
Zalaquett S., Ricardo
Paz Ocaranza J., Maria
Institución
Resumen
Ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery. Surgical technique Background: An experimental model for ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (ADA) in rats has been commonly used in research into ischemic cardiopathy. However, this procedure is very difficult, with a high mortality rate. There is little information in the literature regarding its technical aspects. Our objective was to describe a surgical technique for ADA ligation in rats. Material and Method: Fifty-one Sprague-Dawley male rats weighting 230 +/- 20 gr were anaesthetized and connected to mechanical ventilation. Through a left-side thoracothomy we ligated the ADA 2 mm below the junction of the pulmonary artery and the left atrial appendage. The next day we performed transthoracic echocardiography to confirm our results. Results: The mortality rate was 7.8% (4 out of 51). The main cause of death was hemorrhage during surgery. The average time for the procedure was 45 +/- 5 min. We confirmed hypokinesia of the anterior lateral wall in 100% of the surviving rats. Discussion: This procedure was reproducible and safe, with less than 10% mortality.