The effect of GIK (glucose-insulin-potassium) therapy, as an adjunctive treatment, on cardiac function and urine excretion in the early phase of extensive burn injury was investigated. In early postburn patients, within 48 hours after injury, the GIK therapy resulted in a prominent and continued elevation of cardiac index (CI) (p< 0.05) due to elevated stroke volume index (SVI) (p< 0.05) and left ventricular stroke work index (LVSWI) (p< 0.05), and decreased total peripheral resistance (TPR) (p< 0.05), whereas it produced only a transient increase of CI in the control patients and no noticeable changes in the septic patients. A comparative analysis of these parameters and blood volume in GIK-administered patients and 50% glucose-infused patients revealed the elevated left ventricular performance to be due to enhanced contractility of the heart. The GIK therapy also produced a remarkable and continued increase of urine volume (p< 0.01), at least in part attributable to the elevated CI, whereas in the control and septic patients it produced only a transient increase of urine volume, merely reflecting the hyperosmolar property of the GIK solution.