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The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 28, 281-289, Copyright © 1979 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

ARTICLES

The importance of hyperkalemia in a cold perfusion solution: a correlative study examining myocardial function, metabolism, tissue gases, and substrates

WH Heydorn, WY Moores, J Mack and W Dembitsky

Twenty-four pigs were studied to assess the effect of potassium in a cardioplegic solution on the ability of the swine myocardium to maintain functional and metabolic integrity following induced ischemia. The pigs were evaluated on total and right heart bypass with measurement at normothermia and after a one-hour intervention of stroke volume (SV), coronary blood flow (CBF), myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), and lactate extraction. Myocardial tissue gases (PmO2 and PmCO2) were continuously monitored and, at the conclusion of the procedure tissues were analyzed for adenosine triphosphate (ATP). There were five interventions: (1) hypothermic perfusion (28 degrees C) (Group 1); (2) hypothermic ischemia (28 degrees C) (Group 2); and hypothermic ischemia with a cardioplegic solution (nonlactated Ringer's solution, pH 7.4, 4 degrees C) using (3) normokalemia (4 mEq of potassium chloride/L, 300 mOsm/L (Group 3), (4) hyperkalemia (43 mEq of KCl/L, 390 mOsm/L) (Group 4), and (5) normokalemia with increased osmolarity (3.6 mEq of KCl/L, 400 mOsm/L) (Groups 5). A significant decrease in SV and elevation in peak PmCO2 were seen in all groups subjected to ischemia except those protected with hyperkalemic solution. We conclude that the presence of hyperkalemia in a cold root perfusion solution provides better myocardial protection than cold root perfusion alone. Furthermore, potassium arrest appears to be more protective than coronary perfusion at 28 degrees C.