Effective primary and secondary prevention and advances in cardiac surgery have significantly improved the care and outcomes of patients with myocardial ischemia. While timely reperfusion has proved to be an invaluable tool, ischemia-reperfusion injury represents a mechanism that may limit its effectiveness. Numerous experimental studies have shown effective protection from ischemia-reperfusion injury in animal models, but translation into clinical practice has been less successful. This article summarizes the role of ischemia-reperfusion injury in the pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease and gives an overview of the various modalities that have been developed in order to provide myocardial protection from reperfusion injury in clinical practice.

Patients with implanted continuous, nonpulsatile, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have increased the occurrence of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB). Although the pathophysiology is multifactorial, there are few treatments beyond supportive care. Octreotide acetate is a somatostatin analog that reduces GIB in various patient populations. However, there are sparse case series that suggest octreotide acetate may reduce GIB in LVAD patients. This 10 patient, 28 week phase I study evaluated the safety and tolerability of octreotide acetate long-acting release (LAR) 20 mg depot injection every 4 weeks until week 16 after LVAD placement. Secondary aims were occurrence of GIB and measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, and platelet aggregation across the study period. Ten patients were enrolled, and eight completed the study. The two study dropouts were not related to octreotide. None of the patients experienced side effects or safety concerns related to octreotide nor did GIB occur in the study population. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels were maintained in the reference range throughout the duration of the study. There did appear to be laboratory evidence of acquired von Willebrand syndrome, with mildly low platelet aggregation studies. In conclusion, octreotide acetate LAR 20 mg depot injection was safe and effective in this population.

IL-1 blockade therapies using rhIL-1Ra prior the onset of AMI protects the myocardium and preserves cardiac function.

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