Metabolic arrest of the ischemic heart.

Procaine, hypocalcemia, magnesium, fluoride, adrenochrome, and tetrodotoxin have been used to induce metabolic arrest of the heart and increase its tolerance to ischemia. Prolonged periods of ischemic cardiac arrest without measurable deterioration of cardiac function are possible. The application of these techniques in the repair of intracardiac lesions deserves further study.