The paucity of donor hearts for transplantation can be remedied by distant heart procurement. Prolonging donor heart preservation is essential for successful clinical cardiac transplantation. Thirty-two isolated rat hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution for 15 minutes, arrested and preserved at 4 oC for 4 hours, and then reperfused for 25 minutes. The following three groups were prepared and hemodynamic changes, creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme levels and ultrastructural changes of the myocardium were analysed before and after cardiac arrest. ; Group I : the heart was arrested with the cardioplegic solution [Plegisol, potassium : 16 mM, sodium : 120 mM] and then stored in a solution with ionic compositions of the extracellular fluid [Hartman, potassium : 4 mM, sodium : 130 mM] ; Group II : the heart was arrested with the cardioplegic solution and stored in a solution with ionic compositions of the intracellular fluid [Modified Euro-Collins, potassium : 108 mM, sodium : 10 mM] ; Group III : the heart was arrested with the cardioplegic solution containing adenosine 20 uM, and then stored in a solution with ionic compositions of the intracellular fluid [Modified University of Wisconsin solution, potassium : 119 mM, sodium: 23 mM]. Left ventricular developed pressure at 20 minutes of the reperfusion was significantly higher in group III [64.3 $pm$ 3.12 mmHg, p<0.01] and group II [58.3 $pm$ 1.55 mmHg, p<0.05] as compared with group I [51.4$pm$ 2.78 mmHg]. The time to induce cardiac arrest after infusion of cardioplegic solution with adenosine 20 uM [5.3 $pm$ 0.30 second, p<0.005] was significantly shorter than without adenosine [10.6$pm$ 0.55 second]. Coronary flow at 20 minutes of the reperfusion was augmented significantly in group III [9.6$pm$ 0.50 ml/min, p<0.05, p<0.05] as compared with group I [8.0 $pm$ 0.41 ml/min] and group II [8.1$pm$ 0.51 ml/min]. Percentage recovery of left ventricular developed pressure at 20 minutes of the reperfusion was significantly higher in group III [94.6$pm$ 2.51 %, p<0.005] as compared with group II and in group II [83.1 $pm$ 1.22 %, p<0.005] as compared with group I [69.9 $pm$ 1.73 %], and also percentage recovery of coronary flow at 20 minutes of the reperfusion was significantly higher in group III [82.3 $pm$ 3.86 %, p<0.05] as compared with group II [71.4 $pm$ 3.46 %] but there was no significant difference between group I and group II. Measured level of creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme at 15 minutes of the reperfusion was significantly lower in group III [1.23 $pm$ 0.16 ng/ml, p<0.025] and group II [1.42$pm$ 0.10 ng/ml, p<0.05] as compared with group I [1.79 0.14 ng/ml]. In the semiquantitative evaluation of the ultrastructural changes of the myocardium, mitochondrial score was lower in group III [0.7 $pm$ 0.21] than in group I [3.1$pm$ 0.28] and group II [1.7 $pm$ 0.19], and also the other structural score was lower in group III [2.7$pm$ 0.99] than in group I [7.9 $pm$ 0.89] and group II [5.0 $pm$ 1.22]. In conclusion, the solution with ionic compositions of the intracellular fluid is appropriate for prolonged cardiac preservation, and it appears to be better preserving method for distant procurement when the donor heart is rapidly arrested with cardioplegic solution containing adenosine 20 uM, and then stored with Modified University of Wisconsin solution.