Chlorides, Potassium and Experimental Cardiac Necroses

• The importance of potassium and various chlorides in the pathogenesis of several experimental cardiac necroses was first suggested by the observation that all the potassium salts (phosphates, sulfates, chloride, etc.) and all the chlorides (of magnesium, potassium, ammonium, etc.) tested were effective in preventing the myocardial lesions, while no other salts had such an effect. In a previous paperwe demonstrated that during the development of the "BlectrolyteSteroid-Cardiopathy with Necrosis" (ESCN) the decrease of myocardial potassium observed in the prenecrotic stage of the syndrome was not the only factor responsible for the production of the cardiac lesions. The experiments described in this paper were performed in an attempt to clarify the role of potassium and the various chlorides in the pathogenesis and prevention of this experimental cardiac necrosis.