[Causes of disorders of the contractile function of the heart after cardioplegia]

In experiments with isolated animal hearts it has been ascertained that free hemoglobin, lactic acids, catecholamines, vasopressin and acetylcholine at the concentrations they appear in patients' blood during open heart surgeries can produce cardiodepressive effects and cause acute heart failure. Cardiac reperfusion with a solution containing 20% less sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and hydrogen ions leads to severe heart failure: lower osmotic capacity and/or concurrent smaller Na+ and H+ concentrations were responsible for myocardial contractility disturbances.