Selective inhibition of the contractile apparatus. A new approach to modification of infarct size, infarct composition, and infarct geometry during coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion.

Selective intracoronary infusion of BDM at doses inhibiting regional wall motion decreased infarct size after reperfusion. The effects of BDM on regional function, the reduction in contraction band necrosis at histology, and the peculiar configuration of these infarcts all suggest that inhibition of contracture can interfere with cell-to-cell progression of myocardial necrosis, supporting a role for contracture in reperfusion-induced cell death.