The post-mortem myocardial potassium sodium ratio in detection of infarction

The potassium:sodium ratio was estimated in cardiac muscle collected from 67 autopsies at Flinders Medical Centre. The results were compared with the clinical and histological evidence of infarction, and a good statistical correlation was demonstrated (P less than 0.001). It is proposed that the method be used as a routine in cases of sudden death. The technique appears to be a simple and cheap alternative to histochemical and histological procedures and offers greater sensitivity and reliability.