Cardiac denervation in the calf using cryoablation: functional evidence and regional tissue catecholamine content

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Abstract
Twenty-six calves were subjected to a technique of cryoablation in orderto establish an animal model of complete cardiac denervation. All 26survived the procedure, and 20 were alive to be re-evaluated 2-4 weekslater. Mean heart rate in the denervated animals rose from 77 +/- 7.8beats/min to 102 +/- 16.4 (P less than 0.01). Cryoablation abolished theheart rate responses to electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve andthoracic sympathetic trunk. The reduction in myocardial noradrenalineconcentrations averaged 99% in the right atrium, 90% in the left atrium,85% in the right ventricle and 90% in the left ventricle, when comparedwith tissue obtained from control animals. Cryoablation is a relativelysimple means of accomplishing complete functional cardiac denervation inthe calf. On the basis of the observed change in heart rate, the calf modelappears to be more comparable with human heart transplant recipients thanthe dog.

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