[Controlled hyperventilation in the therapy of acute myocardial infarction].

Two patients with anterior wall infarction were hyperventilated under control with the aim of the induction of an inverse steal-phenomenon. Simultaneously the registration of the ST-dynamics was performed by means of precordial mapping. In a region of an arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure up to about 20 mm Hg the increasing hypocapnia causes a rapid and clear reduction of the sum of ST segment elevations. The optimization of the myocardial oxygen balance caused by an inverse steal-phenomenon can be made evident by the increase of the left-ventricular compliance and might be favoured by the decrease of the left-ventricular filling pressure caused by the positive respiration pressure. The parameters of the global haemodynamics remain in the region of their initial values. With the controlled hyperventilation a new myocardium-protective therapy principle for patients with infarction is demonstrated, which is to be involved into their therapy regime.