Cardiovascular pathology : the official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology
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Cardiovasc. Pathol. · Sep 2013
Effect of topical N-acetylcysteine in the prevention of postoperative pericardial adhesion formation in a rabbit model.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of reduced glutathione, has been in clinical use primarily as a mucolytic. In addition, NAC is well known for their free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. Increasing of reactive oxygen products occurring during cardiac surgery can play an important role in postoperative adhesion formation. We investigated to the efficacy of the NAC for postoperative pericardial adhesions. ⋯ The use of NAC for preventing postoperative pericardial adhesions was reduced to adhesion and fibrosis scores in an experimental rabbit model. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of inflammatory scores. The NAC effectively prevented the formation of pericardial adhesion.