In order to evaluate the effects of the combination of halothane and verapamil on left ventricular function and coronary blood flow (CBF), six sheep were anaesthetized with halothane (1.2% inspired) and given increasing cumulative doses of intravenous verapamil. Regional myocardial function was assessed by sonomicrometry in the areas supplied by the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and the left circumflex coronary artery (LC). Changes in global haemodynamics, atrioventricular conduction, LV relaxation and systolic shortening after 0.32 mg X kg-1 intravenous verapamil indicated impaired left ventricular function. Significant myocardial dysfunction (post-systolic shortening) occurred in the LAD territory, accompanied by a 64% decrease (42 +/- 6 to 15 +/- 3, P less than 0.01) in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP). Coronary blood flow in the LC segment decreased 83% (102 +/- 15 to 17 +/- 13, P less than 0.01) as coronary reserve was exhausted with the decrease in CPP. Calcium chloride reversed the impairment of global and regional myocardial function observed with verapamil, improved the impaired left ventricular relaxation, but did not significantly alter atrioventricular conduction. Thus the combination halothane-verapamil can cause significant left ventricular depression and myocardial dysfunction, possibly by inducing subendocardial ischaemia or by direct pharmacologic effect. Calcium chloride reverses this regional myocardial dysfunction as well as the deleterious global haemodynamic changes caused by halothane-verapamil; however, the changes in atrioventricular conduction are not corrected by calcium.