HEPARIN AND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PRESERVATION OF LATISSIMUS CARDIOMYOPLASTIES IN GOATS - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background: Chronic electrical stimulation of cardiomyoplasties often leads to atrophy and fibrosis of the skeletal muscle. In this retrospe ctive study, we re-examined the data in our previous work, which sugge sted that muscle was preserved by treatment with basic fibroblast grow th factor (bFGF). Methods: Histologic sections were reviewed for evide nce of atrophy, and fibrosis from four groups of goats with latissimus dorsi cardiomyoplasty: (1) unstimulated; (2) 2-Hz stimulated x 6 week s; (3) 2-Hz stimulated with heparin infusion (50 units/hour) x 6 weeks ; and (4) 2-Hz stimulated with bFGF (80-mu g bolus/week)x 6 weeks. Res ults: Muscle degeneration, as indicated by fat replacement of muscle f ibers, was 56.95% +/- 9.16% (mean +/- S.E.) in the 2-Hz stimulated com pared with 16.43% +/- 6.22% in unstimulated muscles. In 2-Hz = bFGF an d 2 Hz-Heparin (Hep) groups, degeneration was 11.60% +/- 3.04% and 20. 36% +/- 5.03%, respectively. bFGF treatment was associated with a grea ter latissimus blood flow than in the 2-Hz-untreated and 2 Hz-Hep grou ps (p < 0.05). Conclusions: bFGF's protection against degeneration may have involved angiogenesis and myogenesis, whereas that of heparin ap pears to have involved only myogenesis. While the mechanism(s) of the effects of heparin and bFGF remain to be defined, we conclude that the y may be a useful adjunct for cardiomyoplasty.