Electrolytes and ventricular arrhythmias.

Magnesium concentrations in the blood plasma of patients with ventricular arrhythmias were found to be significantly lower than in controls, whereas the sodium and calcium concentrations of the erythrocytes were significantly higher than in the controls. Intensive magnesium therapy resulted in an increase of the plasma magnesium concentration and in significant changes of Na, K, Ca and Mg in the erythrocytes. By means of long-term ECG recordings, it was shown that the therapy may result in a quantitative decrease of the ventricular arrhythmias.