• G Vretzakis, E Ferdi, B Papaziogas, C Dragoumanis, J Pneumatikos, I Tsangaris, K Tsakiridis, and F Konstantinou.
• University Hos. of Alexandroupolis, Greece.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Belg. 2004 Jan 1;55(3):221-7.

AbstractMyocardial metabolic rate and coronary flow are closely related limiting thus the diagnostic value of coronary sinus saturation monitoring as an indicator of flow. Regional venoarterial CO2 gradient was found elevated during low flow in various clinical and experimental conditions, in animals and humans. This study was undertaken to examine the impact of the variations of cardiac mechanical work on veno-arterial CO2 content and partial pressure difference (deltaPCO2) of the coronary sinus blood. Twenty-seven patients of either sex (m/f = 21/6), undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting under extracorporeal circulation, were studied. Monitoring included a Swan-Ganz catheter and a coronary sinus line. The correct position of the late was verified by the waveform displayed in the monitor. Immediately after cannulae placement, a hemodynamic profile was obtained and simultaneous arterial and coronary sinus sampling for blood gas analysis was done in an ABL 720 (Radiometer Copenhagen) analyzer. A second collection of the same data was obtained five minutes later with the patients in a slight "head-down" position. Conditions for exclusion was intersample variation of hemoglobin's concentration greater than 15% and sodium ion concentration difference greater than 10% of the greater value. Arteriovenous oxygen partial pressure difference (deltaP(a-cs)O2), veno-arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure difference (deltaP(cs-a)CO2), O2 & CO2 content difference and heart's respiratory quotient were calculated and correlated to cardiac output (CO) and the other hemodynamic parameters. Statistical analysis employed t-paired test and linear regression. No ischemia was detected during sampling. "Head-down" position had a significant impact to all hemodynamic parameters except heart rate. In both data rows, although CO ranged widely and altered significantly, coronary sinus oxygen saturation and arteriovenous O2 content difference were stable and showed insignificant correlations to all the hemodynamic parameters that were studied. Carbon dioxide content difference (coronary sinus-arterial) showed a trending of decrease with higher flow. DeltaP(cs-a)CO2 appeared stable and independent of flow. Finally, respiratory quotient decreased significantly from 0.91 +/- 0.4 to 0.86 +/- 0.4 (mean +/- SD; p < 0.05). The heart's high basal oxygen consumption and the almost near hemoglobin's desaturation transcoronary extraction of oxygen limits the value of coronary sinus saturation monitoring as indicator of coronary flow. Heart's little extraction reserve is faced with coronary flow reserve. In the physiologic range and under the conditions of anesthesia, elevated CO2 production is accompanied with increased coronary flow. Under these circumstances, deltaP(cs-a)CO2 appears stable and is not suitable for clinical decisions concerning heart's coronary flow.

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