Performance of skeletal muscle ventricles: effects of ventricular chamber size.

Skeletal muscle ventricles were constructed in 12 dogs. In one group of dogs (n = 7) the skeletal muscle ventricles were constructed around a 17 ml Teflon mandrel, and in the other group (n = 5) a 45 ml mandrel was used. Use of the larger mandrel resulted in an increase in compliance and greater stroke work over the physiologic range of preloads and afterloads. With the larger mandrel, stroke work consistently exceeded normal canine stroke work at physiologic filling pressures.