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We have studied the cardiovascular effects of nitrous oxide after cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury caused by aortic cross-clamping and unclamping during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). At the time of chest closure, 20 patients were allocated randomly to receive oxygen and air (FIO2 = 0.5) or 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen in addition to anaesthesia with fentanyl. Nitrous oxide significantly decreased mean arterial pressure (P less than 0.01) and cardiac index (P less than 0.05), which suggests that nitrous oxide with fentanyl may significantly depress left ventricular performance after CABG. Although ischaemia-reperfusion cardiac injury did not appear to increase the myocardial depressant effect of nitrous oxide, the use of nitrous oxide is not recommended immediately after CABG.