Alterations in collateral blood flow produced by isoflurane in a chronically instrumented canine model of multivessel coronary artery disease. The actions of isoflurane and adenosine on left ventricular myocardial perfusion during a total occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and concomitant stenosis of the left circumflex coronary artery were investigated in dogs chronically instrumented for measurement of systemic and coronary hemodynamics, regional myocardial contractile function (via ultrasonic sonomicrometers), and myocardial blood flow (via the radioactive microsphere technique). An Ameroid constrictor was implanted on the left circumflex coronary artery to produce a slowly progressive stenosis that gradually depleted the coronary reserve of the distal vascular bed. The reductions in reserve were evaluated by daily measurement of baseline left circumflex coronary blood flow velocity and the hyperemic response to injection of adenosine. At a stage of moderate or severe left circumflex stenosis development, the left anterior descending coronary artery was totally occluded via a hydraulic occluder to simulate multivessel coronary artery disease, and control measurements of hemodynamics, regional contractile function, and myocardial blood flow were completed. In separate groups of experiments, either adenosine (0.64 and 1.28 mg/min) or isoflurane (1.6-1.8 and 2.3-2.5%, end-tidal) was administered and measurements remade during steady state hemodynamic conditions. Finally, diastolic aortic pressure and heart rate were adjusted to levels present in the control state during administration of adenosine or isoflurane, and additional measurements were recorded. Isoflurane reduced mean arterial pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure, and the rate of increase of left ventricular pressure at 50 mmHg (positive dP/dt50) without change in heart rate. Administration of isoflurane decreased blood flow in normal, stenotic, and occluded regions; however, when arterial pressure and heart rate were restored to levels present in the conscious state, myocardial perfusion in all regions was maintained at control levels. Ratios of flow between occluded and normal or stenotic zones remained unchanged from the conscious state during a constant aortic pressure and heart rate. Similar results were obtained in dogs with either a moderate or severe left circumflex coronary artery stenosis. In contrast, adenosine produced a dose-related decrease in collateral flow and occluded-to-normal or occluded-to-stenotic zone flow ratio. The results of this investigation indicate that adenosine but not isoflurane redistributes blood flow away from collateral-dependent myocardium to other regions in a chronically instrumented canine model of multivessel coronary artery disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS). 