[Ways of increasing the protective effect of cardioplegic solutions]

An experimental study on rat hearts using continuous recording of myocardial tension showed that the addition of various groups of drugs to the solution had negative effects on heart function. Positive effect was achieved when cardioplegia was combined with the pretreatment of animals with anti-ischemic drugs (alpha-tocopherol, dimethylsulfoxide) as well as preliminary oxygenation of the medium. Possible mechanisms of these myocardial effects are discussed.