Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals
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Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann · Jun 2008
ReviewCardioprotection with volatile anesthetics in cardiac surgery.
Myocardial ischemia during the perioperative period is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after surgery. Experimental data indicate that clinical concentrations of volatile anesthetics protect the myocardium from ischemia and reperfusion injury, as shown by decreased infarct size and more rapid postoperative recovery of contractile function. ⋯ Implementation of such cardioprotection during surgery may provide an additional tool in the treatment and prevention of ischemic cardiac dysfunction in the perioperative period. This review discusses the clinical studies that have focused on the potential cardioprotective effects of volatile anesthetic agents.