The potential benefit of transient hypothermic reperfusion of the ischemic myocardium was investigated in isolated working rat hearts (n = 6/group) subjected to 25 min of global ischemia at 37 degrees C. Hearts were reperfused in the Langendorff mode at 5, 10, 20, 30, or 37 degrees C for 10 min plus 5 min at 37 degrees C before assessment of functional recovery (working mode). Compared with normothermic reperfusion (recovery of cardiac output = 42.3 +/- 6.1%), transient hypothermia failed to improve the recovery of cardiac output, which was 47.9 +/- 12.7 (P = NS), 54.3 +/- 11.5 (P = NS), 25.3 +/- 2.7 (P = NS), and 6.4 +/- 3.8% (P less than 0.05) in the 30, 20, 10, and 5 degrees C groups, respectively. Reduced recovery in the 5 degrees C group was reflected in increased creatine kinase leakage from 0.26 +/- 0.04 IU.ml-1.g dry wt-1 (37 degrees C reperfusion) to 0.62 +/- 0.12 IU. ml-1.g dry wt-1 (5 degrees C reperfusion; P less than 0.05). Brief periods (3 x 1 min) of hypothermic (5 degrees C) perfusion during normothermic Langendorff reperfusion (15 min) also reduced recovery of cardiac output to 12.1 +/- 7.2% (P less than 0.01). In additional studies, hearts were subjected to a 2-min preischemic infusion with the St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution before either 25 or 35 min of normothermic ischemia and reperfusion with transient hypothermia at 5, 10, 20, or 30 degrees C. Once again hypothermic reperfusion failed to improve recovery but detrimental effects were not observed in the 5 degrees C group. These results indicate no beneficial effect of transient hypothermic reperfusion on recovery of function measured following global normothermic ischemia.