[Postmortem ion analysis of the myocardium in surgically correctible heart malformations]

Commonly, children dying after operation on congenital cardiac malformation, show only minor histological changes in the myocardium. We have attempted to correlate the myocardial ion (Na+, K+, Ca2+) composition with the probable severity of hypoxia. Mean Ca2+ content has been plotted against the mean Na+/K+ ratio of every heart in the present study. A good correlation between these two parameters was demonstrated with full separation of controls and hearts with congenital malformations.