302 Metabolic Consequences and Predictabilit of Ventricular Fibrillation in Hypoxia

Background. Ventricular fibrillation has deleterious metabolic and functional consequences for the heart. This study had two purposes: first, to define the effects of ventricular fibrillation during hypoxia on energy metabolism and accumulation of intracellular Na' and, second, to test whether the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation can be predicted from functional or metabolic parameters. Medhods and Resuls. Isolated isovolumic rat hearts were perfused with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer at 37°C. After a prehypoxic period, hearts were subjected to hypoxic perfusion (95% N2-5% C02) for 30 minutes. High-energy phosphates and intracellular pH were determined by 31P-nuclear magnetic