A generalized consideration of myocardial preservation with cold crystalloid versus warm blood cardioplegia in heart valve replacement.

Abstract

Continuous warm blood cardioplegia was widely used, as an effective means of myocardial preservation, in open heart surgery. The comparisons of myocardial protective effects between traditional cold crystalloid and warm blood cardioplegia, however, have been based mainly on hemodynamics, cardiac function and myocardial metabolism, other than clinical outcome. The present study was designed to examine myocardial protective effects by assessing clinical outcome, enzyme levels and myocardial cytochemistry. Twenty patients undergoing heart valve replacement were divided randomly into two groups: Group I was given intermittent perfusion of cold crystalloid (St. Thomas Hospital solution) with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and Group II was given continuous administration of warm blood cardioplegia with normothermic CPB. The groups were similar with respect to sex, age, body surface area and preoperative ventricular function. Blood samples were obtained from an indwelling radial arterial catheter or from the arterial end of the oxygenator. Biopsy specimens from the right atrium were obtained immediately before aortic declamping (ischemic period) and 30 minutes after crossclamp removal (reperfusion period). Serum enzymes, including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its isoenzymes and creatine phosphokinase (CK) and its isoenzyme, were determined. Myocardial cytochemistry were chiefly assessed by grey-scale image processing of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and cytochrome oxidase (CCO) examinations. Relations among the results were discussed. Reperfusion time was reduced and ventilation support time decreased in Group II (33.50 +/- 3.78 min vs. 25.00 +/- 4.46 min, p < 0.05; 38.98 +/- 16.55 h vs. 19.84 +/- 1.11 h, p < 0.05). Rates of atrial beating during aortic crossclamp and spontaneous recovery to normal sinus rhythm were much higher in Group II than in Group I (80% vs. 20%, p < 0.05; 70% vs. 10%, p < 0.05). Differences in hospital morbidity and mortality between groups were nonsignificant. Serum AST, ALT, LDH and LDH1 + LDH2 all showed no significant intergroup differences. There was a higher serum CK-MB level with a delayed peak in Group II. The cytochemistry activities of ATPase was not different between groups and periods and SDH was the highest during reperfusion period in Group I and of CCO significantly much promoted in Group II in both periods. Continuous warm blood cardioplegia resulted in higher spontaneous recovery to sinus rhythm, shorter reperfusion and ventilation support time. Damage to the myocardium, skeletal muscle and liver always occur in warm blood cardioplegic patients. However, warm blood cardioplegia is still a practical method for myocardial preservation in open heart surgery.