Effects of glucose-insulin-potassium infusion on myocardial infarction and myocardial blood flow following experimental coronary artery occlusion.

To determine the therapeutic effects of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) solution, 5 control dogs and 5 GIK-treated dogs were investigated 24 hours after coronary artery occlusion by use of myocardial creatine phosphokinase (CK) activity and myocardial thallium-201 uptake. There was no significant difference in myocardial blood flow estimated by thallium-201 uptake between the control and the GIK group, but myocardial CK activity in the ischemic zone of GIK-treated animals was significantly higher than that of the control group. This suggests that administration of GIK solution is effective in protecting myocardial tissue in the central ischemic area and that this protecting action of GIK seems to be independent of myocardial blood flow.