Extracellular potassium rapidly increases during myocardial ischemia and has been implicated in the development of ventricular fibrillation (VF). Recent evidence suggests that ischemically induced potassium efflux results from the opening of ATP-dependent potassium channels. If extracellular potassium accumulation contributes to VF, one would predict that drugs that block the ATP-dependent potassium channels should protect against these arrhythmias. Therefore, VF was induced in 15 mongrel dogs with healed myocardial infarctions by a 2-min coronary occlusion during exercise. This exercise (Ex) plus ischemia test consistently induced VF during each control (vehicle) presentation. However, glyburide, a sulfonylurea drug that selectively blocks the ATP-dependent potassium channel, prevented VF in 13 of 15 animals tested (p < 0.001, chi 2). Glyburide (G) elicited significant reductions in left ventricular dP/dtmax (Ex: control, 5,031 +/- 386.4; G, 3,286 +/- 116.6 mm Hg/s) and mean coronary blood flow (Ex: control, 49.6 +/- 8.7; G, 31.3 +/- 5.5 ml/min) both before and during exercise. The heart rate responses to exercise and coronary occlusion were also reduced. Since heart rate reductions could contribute to the cardioprotection, the exercise plus ischemia test was repeated with the heart rate held constant by ventricular pacing. Glyburide still protected four of five animals under these conditions. These data indicate that glyburide, a drug that blocks the ATP-dependent potassium channels, can prevent VF independently of changes in the heart rate. The data further suggest that these channels may contribute to the coronary vasodilation elicited by an increase in metabolic demand during exercise.