Question

As the heart muscle becomes more and more hypoxic, this usually causes the cardiac output to drop. What kind of compensation occurs as this happens? What is this compensation called?

Answer 1

Compensation for heart failure maintains the cardiac output. To maintain the cardiac output heart try to pump faster and pump more blood with every beat. when the heart gets hypoxic state it receives signals from the brain to beat fast by passing the message to the heart electrical system. when cardiac output low, the adrenal gland releases norepinephrine(adrenaline) through blood, it stimulates the heart to beat faster. It maintains cardiac output and reduces stroke volume. when the heart beat fast, ventricle filling times will be less after each heartbeat. that time heart allows more blood to fill ventricle before it increases the volume. Due to tension in the heart walls when it pumps harder it increases the stroke volume. when there is hypertrophy heart muscle increase the oxygen and get nutrients, it provides blood supply to the heart and impairs the heart ability to make less cardiac output.
This compensatory mechanism called a physiological compensatory mechanism.