Clinical and experimental studies of the determination of serum guanase activity in acute myocardial infarction.

Serum guanase activity was measured by a new method using direct colorimetric determination of ammonia in 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 21 dogs with experimental myocardial infarction and 6 CCl4-treated dogs, and compared with serum GOT and GPT activity. We found normal serum guanase activity in patients with acute myocardial infarction and in dogs with experimental myocardial infarction without liver damage, even when the serum GOT and GPT activities increased. On the other hand, serum guanase and transaminase activities were elevated significantly in the patients with acute myocardial infarction who had prominent symptoms of cardiac failure and congestion of the liver and CCl4-treated dogs. These findings suggested that the serum guanase activity was more specific than serum GOT and GPT activity as an indicator of liver damage and determination of serum guanase activity in the patients with acute myocardial infarction might be useful in assessing the presence of liver impairment.