Electron probe microanalysis was applied to study the kinetics of changes in potassium and sodium concentration in muscle cells of isolated heart from Wistar rat during experimental ischemia. Hypoxic perfusion without glucose was shown to evoke the potassium deficiency and sodium accumulation in
The discovery of insulin in 1922 aroused immediate clinical interest in its use in heart disease. In severe heart failure, insulin release is suppressed by the combined effect of poor pancreatic perfusion and by increased sympathetic activity. In these circumstances, myocardial metabolism of glucose