Figure 3

Microvascular blood flow measured using laser Doppler flowmetry in ischemic myocardium, after 20 minutes of occlusion of the left anterior descending artery, exposed to topical negative pressures of -25 mmHg and -50 mmHg. The measurements were performed at a depth of 6–8 mm in the myocardium in six pigs. The results are shown as mean values ± SEM in the left panel. A level of *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001 was considered statistically significant. The right panel shows a representative example of microvascular blood flow changes before and after application of -50 mmHg. Note the immediate blood flow response when negative pressure is applied.