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An isolated working rat heart preparation was used to determine the effect of diltiazem, a calcium antagonist, on the myocardial metabolism and functional recovery in the ischemic and reperfused heart, under conditions of 15 degrees C of topical hypothermia. The hearts were divided into two groups according to the solution injected into aortic root at the onset of ischemia. Group I (25 hearts) were given 3 ml of cold Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer solution (KHB), and Group II (25 hearts) were given the same dose of KHB containing 300 micrograms of diltiazem. After 30 min of reperfusion following 120 min of ischemia, cardiac output (ml/min) was significantly better in Group II (24.1 +/- 3.2) than in Group I (9.5 +/- 2.5). There were no differences between the groups with regard to tissue levels of creatine phosphate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), total adenine nucleotide (TAN), glucose-6-phosphate and lactate during the ischemia. However, ATP and TAN levels were significantly higher in Group II after 30 min of reperfusion. These data show that, although diltiazem has little effect in preventing the catabolism of high-energy phosphates during hypothermic ischemia, there was an improvement in myocardial metabolism and an enhanced functional recovery during reperfusion in the diltiazem-treated hearts.