EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS GLUCOSE ON VENTRICULAR VULNERABILITY FOLLOWING ACUTE CORONARY-ARTERY OCCLUSION IN THE DOG

Ventricular vulnerability was determined during intermittent 10 min occlusions of the left anterior descending coronary artery in the open-chest anaesthetized dog by measurement of ventricular premature beat threshold. Glucose infusion sufficient to double arterial levels caused (1) a significant increase in local arterial-venous glucose concentration difference, apparent before and within 5 min of arterial occlusion (2) an increase in ventricular premature beat threshold and decrease of ventricular premature beat frequency apparent within 2 to 7 min of occlusion. Arterial-local-venous differences of potassium, lactate and free fatty acids were unchanged. Mannitol infusion did not reproduce these effects. It is suggested that increased glucose extraction by the ischaemic myocardium is protective against ventricular arrhythmias. © 1979.