Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Phosphorus in the Perfused Heart

This lecture has dealt with the potential use of 31P nmr in medical application to heart disease. 31P nmr shows high promise as a method for monitoring the biochemical state of the heart and correlating it with heart function. This has medical significance in that: 1) it can shed light on the biochemical, factors affecting heart function, 2) it can provide date for the assessment of protocols designed to preserve ischemic myocardium following coronary infarction and during cardiac surgery, 3) with the development of techniques for spatial resolution of 31P spectra of the heart, sizing and locating ischemic zones, scars, and normal tissue may become feasible. In addition 31P nmr also has great potential in basic studies of living systems including the heart and other organs.