[Postmortem diagnosis of ventricular fibrillation in acute coronary insufficiency]

Occlusion of coronary artery in dogs has revealed differences in K and Na postmortal distributions in the heart and skeletal muscles after ventricular fibrillation and acute coronary insufficiency. A more dramatic reduction of K and Na content in the heart and skeletal muscles was noted in death caused by heart failure than death caused by ventricular fibrillation. The analysis of autopsy samples showed a more marked reduction in K content in a possible ischemic area (the middle third of anterior wall of the left ventricle) during slow death with short agonal periods as compared to sudden death and a significant reduction of K content in skeletal muscle during slow death in contrast to the absence of changes in sudden death. K and Na measurements in the myocardium and skeletal muscle can be used in addition to catamnesis data for determining the cause of sudden death.