Perfusion in the experimental preservation of the rat heart

Rat hearts have been preserved for 24 hours using four different preservation solutions. The results suggest that the best preservation fluid is Tyrode's solution with Ficoll 5 per cent. A comparison of simple cooling of the heart and perfusion, either continuous or intermittent, has shown that intermittent perfusion of the heart for 2 minutes every 6 hours gives the highest rate of 24-hour preservation.