Figure 1

Muscle viability . 4 h after revascularization a marked decrease in viabilty was detected in both the IR (ischemia-reperfusion, ○, n = 8) and PostC (postconditioned, ◊, n = 8) groups compared to the sham-operated (x, n = 5) group. On the first postoperative day, a regeneration seems to be in process in the PostC group, while viability remained on a similar level in the IR group (significant difference). 72 h after the revascularization a further improvement can be detected in both subgroups, with no significant difference between either of the subgroups. (Values are expressed as means ± SD, *indicates p < 0.05.).