Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Right cervical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) provides cardioprotective effects against acute ischemia-reperfusion injury in small animals. However, inconsistent findings have been reported. ⋯ During ischemia-reperfusion injury, both C-VNS and I-VNS provide significant cardioprotective effects compared with I-VNS + atropine. These beneficial effects were abolished by muscarinic blockade, suggesting the importance of muscarinic receptor modulation during VNS. The protective effects of VNS could be due to its protection of mitochondrial function during ischemia-reperfusion.