Protection of the ischemic immature heart--effect of perfusate reinfusion and composition.

We determined the influence of perfusate composition and reinfusion during ischemia upon myocardial protection in the immature rabbit heart. Isolated "working" hearts (n = 6 per group) from 7-10-day-old New Zealand White rabbits were perfused with Krebs bicarbonate buffer and function measured. Hearts were then arrested with 3 minutes cold (14 degrees C) perfusion with bicarbonate buffer (as hypothermia-alone group) or St. Thomas' II cardioplegic solution (as hypothermia-plus-cardioplegia group). Hearts were then subjected to hypothermic (14 degrees C) global ischemia for 2 or 6 hours, with and without multiple reinfusion of the coronary vasculature. Following 2 hours ischemia impaired recovery of aortic flow occurred after multiple reinfusion in comparison with a single infusion with the cardioplegic solution (64 +/- 3% versus 72 +/- 4%) but not with bicarbonate buffer (79 +/- 3% versus 83 +/- 4%). However after 6 hours ischemia impaired recovery of function occurred after multiple reinfusion in comparison with single infusion both with the cardioplegic solution (60 +/- 3% versus 68 +/- 3%) and with bicarbonate buffer (57 +/- 4% versus 75 +/- 5%). There were no differences in post-ischemic creatine kinase leakage or myocardial water content between groups. These results suggest (i) that reinfusion itself, regardless of the composition of the perfusate, caused decreased recovery of function after an extended period of ischemia, and (ii) protection of the ischemic immature heart with St. Thomas' II solution remains inadequate and requires improvement.