Favorable effects of hyperosmotic reperfusion on myocardial edema and infarct size

reperfusion on myocardial edema and infarct size. Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Heart Circ. PhysioL. 31): Hl7-H22, 1992.-Myo-cardial water content and infarct size were studied in 39 pigs randomly assigned to a nonintervention group, a group with an intracoronary infusion of a control solution, and a group with a hyperosmotic infusion to 450 mosM by the addition of D-mannitol. The intracoronary solutions were selectively infused into the left anterior descending coronary artery just distal to the occlusion site starting 48 min after occlusion. Reperfusion was performed 3 min later and the infusion rate progressively tapered off over the following 33 min. Multiple myocardial fragments were then obtained in nine pigs, from endocardial, mesocardial, and epicardial regions of the ischemic and control myocardium. Water content measured after 48 h of dessication was significantly greater in the reperfused [530 t 7 ml/10