Hyperbaric Oxygenation: Diffuse Myocordial Infarction

The present study was conducted to determine whether hyperbaric oxygenation provided protection to the heart in experimentally produced acute diffuse myocardial infarction. No attempt was made to simulate the entity of myocardial infarction as encountered clinically. The use of high pressure environment to increase the delivery of oxygen to tissues is an old concept dating back to antiquity; the history, pressure, terminology, and physiology have been recently reviewed by Jacobson, et al. 1 Boerema 2,3 of Amsterdam and Illingworth et al 4 of Glasgow have stimulated the current interest in its clnical application. Hyperbaric oxygenation has been reported to be beneficial in a variety of ischemic situations, both clinical and experimental. 5-11 Smith and Lawson 10,12 ligated the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery in dogs, and reported protection with hyperbaric oxygenation against fibrillation and mortality. Meijne et al 13 studied similar preparations, measuring coronary backflow, lactic acid, and