title: Ischemic damage and metabolism during elective cardiac arrest.
abstract: Isolated perfused working rat hearts were subjected to elective cardiac arrest for 20 or 30 min. Various methods of arrest were studied, either singly or in combination and with or without coronary perfusion. The functional recovery of the heart following the termination of arrest was found to be related to the concentration of ATP and creatine phosphate in the myocardium at the end of the period of arrest. In turn, these concentrations were dependent upon the method used to induce arrest. Normothermic ischemic arrest led to a marked reduction in high energy phosphates and a poor functional recovery. In contrast, coronary perfusion with hypothermic solutions or solutions containing high concentrations of potassium, induced arrest without depleting ATP or creatine phosphate. These procedures conferred considerable protection on the myocardium and thus permitted good recoveries. The energy status and recovery associated with ischemic arrest could be improved by combining the ischemia with hypothermia or potassium arrest. The latter, while increasing recovery significantly, still failed to afford complete protection to the myocardium. Potassium chloride gave greater protection than potassium citrate. When topical hypothermia was combined with ischemia, a time and temperature relationship was demonstrated but effective protection could only be obtained with severe topical hypothermia over a relatively short time period. The results stress the importance of maintaining high energy phosphates during arrest, and this requires the provision of a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrient, which may perhaps be best achieved by ensuring continuous and adequate coronary perfusion.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D010477:Perfusion; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000378:metabolism; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D010725:Phosphocreatine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D011188:Potassium