Cardiac Retroperfusion with Induced Asystole for Open Surgery upon the Aortic Valve or Coronary Arteries

Only one of 10 dogs submitted to 15 to 30 minutes of potassium citrate produced asystole was a long-term survival (90% mortality). 2. Ten dogs were submitted to 30 minutes of retroperfusion of the coronary sinus, and 4 died from cardiac causes, a 40% mortality. 3. Ten additional dogs were subjected to combination of 30 minutes retroperfusion and potassium citrate provoked asystole. Two of the 10 died from cardiac complications, mortality 20%. 4. Certain aspects of cardiac metabolism in the retroperfused heart with and without potassium citrate induced asystole have been studied in 10 dogs. There appears to be an additionally reduced degree of metabolism under these latter circumstances.