Impaired contraction and relaxation in skin resistance arteries from patients with congestive heart failure

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to determine the pharmacological reactivity of human small resistance arteries in patients with cardiac failure. Methods: Small arteries (<300 μm internal diameter) were removed from gluteal skin biopsy specimens and mounted in a double myograph for isometric force recording. Results: Arteries from six patients with congestive heart failure contracted to only 65% of the maximum response recorded in nine arteries from normal volunteers when activated by potassium chloride (124 mM), noradrenaline (1 μM), or both. The lesser contraction in congestive heart failure vessels with no significant shift in sensitivity (EC50) was also observed in concentration-response studies w..