Action of burn serum on electrical and contractile activity of the homoiothermic myocardium

Abstract

In experiments on isolated rabbit papillary muscles the action of burn serum (BS) obtained 1 h after thermal injury to rabbits was studied. During stimulation varying in frequency between 0.1 and 2 Hz isometric contractions and action potentials (AP) of myocardial cells were recorded. BS (diluted 1:1 in Tyrode solution) inhibited the contractile activity of the papillary muscles, increased the duration of AP, and reduced the duration of the contractile response. Inotropic effects on the rhythm of contractions remained unchanged: An increase in the frequency of stimulation to 2 Hz led to an increase in the amplitude of contractions. Inhibition of the contractile response increased progressively with an increase in the duration of perfusion of the preparations with BS. Addition of 6.4 mM Ca⁺⁺ to the solution of BS caused only a temporary increase in contractions, and rinsing the preparations with Tyrode solution did not result in complete recovery of the orginal contractions. It is concluded that humoral factors play an important role in the disturbance of the contractile properties of heart muscle during burn shock.