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Changes in compartmentation and specific mechanism in acute myocardial failure due to global ischemia and in regional myocardial ischemia in dog hearts are described. Ischemic failure was produced by periodic arrest of flow to supported heart preparations perfused with a fluorocarbon (FC-43). Sarcolemmal vesicles (SL) prepared from ischemic failing heart preparations exhibited diminished Ca++ binding and phosphorylation. TA-064, a beta-1-agonist partially abolished the reduction in Ca++ binding and phosphorylation of SL vesicles. The addition of cyclic-AMP (cAMP) and of protein kinase (PK) increased phosphorylation of SL vesicles obtained from non failing heart preparations. Combination of cAMP and of PK had the greatest effect. In contrast to myocardial failure, myocardial infarction is known to produce a large variety of specific disturbances in intermediary cardiac metabolism. Apparently in ischemic failing heart preparations, Ca++ binding and phosphorylation by SL are deficient. The results with TA-064 and isoproterenol suggest that phosphorylation of SL may play a role in the positive inotropic effect of beta-1-agonists.