The effect of glucose-insulin-potassium on cardiac ultrastructure following acute experimental coronary occlusion.

The effects of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) on cardiac ultrastructure following acute experimental coronary occlusion were studied in dogs. Epicardial ST segment elevations at multiple sites on the anterior surface of the left ventricle 15 minutes after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery were used to predict infarct development. Biopsies removed from sites of known ST segment elevation were examined with the electron microscope, and the degree of injury was correlated with the ST segment elevation. The animals receiving GIK showed significantly less necrosis than was seen in dogs with occlusion alone at corresponding levels of ST segment elevation. Other evidence suggesting a beneficial effect of GIK was the presence of a fibrillar material in several biopsies from the treated animals, which may indicate the regeneration of myofilaments.