The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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Routine cultures of epicardial pacing wires removed 5 to 10 days postoperatively were obtained in 205 adults who underwent cardiac operations through median sternotomy. The study was conducted in a double-blind prospective fashion in which clinicians were unaware of culture results. With the exception of 10 out-of-town patients who were followed up only until the day of hospital discharge, the patients were followed for at least 6 weeks (195 patients) for evidence of poststernotomy wound infections. ⋯ In two of these four patients deep sternal infections developed. In the remaining 178 patients whose wire cultures were negative, no deep sternal infections developed. The fact that all clinically manifested deep sternal infections were associated with positive epicardial pacing wires cultures suggests that epicardial pacing wires cultures may be useful in the treatment of high-risk patients or of those in whom deep sternal infections are suspected.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 1993
Comparative StudyRecovery of postischemic contractile function is depressed by antegrade warm continuous blood cardioplegia.
To assess the effectiveness of warm antegrade continuous blood cardioplegia in the setting of an acute coronary arterial occlusion, we instrumented 19 Yorkshire swine to quantitate left ventricular global, systolic, diastolic, and regional mechanics. Data were acquired before and after 10 minutes of mid-left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by 60 minutes of aortic crossclamping. Cardiac arrest was induced by the antegrade infusion of 20 ml/kg of warm (37 degrees C) or cold (4 degrees C) oxygenated blood cardioplegic solution followed by either continuous warm (75 ml/min, n = 9) or intermittent cold (10 ml/kg every 20 minutes, n = 10) cardioplegic reinfusions. ⋯ Similarly, left anterior descending coronary artery regional ischemic zone contractility recovered 34.5% +/- 7.3% of control function with cold cardioplegia, whereas warm cardioplegia resulted in -11.36% +/- 7.46% functional recovery indicative of dyssynchronous contraction (p < 0.05). Diastolic compliance, calculated with an exponential end-diastolic pressure-versus-volume relationship, was not changed postischemically in either group. These data suggest that warm antegrade blood cardioplegia may potentiate acute ischemic injury and provide inadequate myocardial protection.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 1993
Comparative StudyWarm versus cold blood cardioplegia--is there a difference?
This experimental study sought to compare the effectiveness of warm blood cardioplegia versus cold blood cardioplegia in protecting areas of ischemic myocardium during urgent coronary revascularization. In 40 adult pigs, the second and third diagonal vessels were occluded with snares for 90 minutes. ⋯ Hearts protected with antegrade warm blood cardioplegic solution had the lowest pH values in the area at risk (6.59 +/- 0.10 antegrade warm blood cardioplegia versus 6.80 +/- 0.10 retrograde warm blood cardioplegia versus 6.72 +/- 0.18 antegrade cold blood cardioplegia versus 6.85 +/- 0.15 antegrade/retrograde cold blood cardioplegia and the highest area of necrosis (42% +/- 3% antegrade warm blood cardioplegia versus 26% +/- 2% [p < 0.05 from antegrade warm blood cardioplegia] retrograde warm blood cardioplegia versus 31% +/- 2% [p < 0.05 from antegrade warm blood cardioplegia] antegrade cold blood cardioplegia versus 21% +/- 2% [p < 0.05 from antegrade warm blood cardioplegia] antegrade/retrograde cold blood cardioplegia). We conclude that in the presence of an acute coronary occlusion with ischemic myocardium, warm blood cardioplegic solution should be given in a continuous retrograde fashion and does not result in myocardial protection superior to the protection that can be achieved with antegrade/retrograde cold blood cardioplegic solution.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jan 1993
Effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on systemic release of neutrophil elastase and tumor necrosis factor.
Leukocyte counts, plasma neutrophil elastase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein were determined serially in 19 patients undergoing elective coronary artery surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Neutrophil counts (mean +/- standard deviation 3.85 +/- 1.20 x 10(9)/L preoperatively) peaked 4 hours postoperatively at 10.35 +/- 4.24 x 10(9)/L (p < 0.001) and remained significantly elevated 48 hours postoperatively at 7.80 +/- 2.70 x 10(9)/L, p < 0.05. Plasma neutrophil elastase level (187 +/- 74 ng/ml preoperatively) peaked at 698 +/- 323 ng/ml at the end of surgery (p < 0.001) and remained significantly elevated at 424 +/- 146 ng/ml 48 hours postoperatively (p < 0.01). ⋯ Oxygenation, determined by the respiratory index, was impaired at the end of operation (2.07 +/- 0.82) and remained impaired 24 hours postoperatively (2.48 +/- 0.83). Impairment of oxygenation was temporally related to elevated elastase levels, but neither peak elastase levels nor the change in elastase levels with lung reperfusion correlated significantly with the area under the respiratory index curve up to 6 hours postoperatively. This study demonstrates neutrophil elastase release during cardiopulmonary bypass but fails to show a definite role for neutrophil activation or tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the etiology of pulmonary dysfunction after cardiopulmonary bypass.