The effect of ischemic time on survival after heart transplantation is dependent on donor age, with greater tolerance for prolonged ischemic times among grafts from younger donors. Both donor age and anticipated ischemic time must be considered when assessing a potential donor.

ObjectiveDel Nido (DN) cardioplegia solution provides a depolarized hyperkalemic arrest lasting up to 60 minutes, and the addition of lidocaine may limit intracellular calcium influx. Single-dose DN cardioplegia solution may offer an alternative myocardial protection strategy to multi-dose cold whole blood (WB) cardioplegia following acute myocardial infarction (AMI).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 88 consecutive patients with AMI undergoing coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery with cardioplegic arrest between June 2010 to June 2012. Patients exclusively received WB (n = 40, June 2010-July 2011) or DN (n = 48, August 2011-June 2012) cardioplegia. Preoperative and postoperative data were retrospectively reviewed and compared using propensity scoring.ResultsNo significant difference in age, maximum preoperative serum troponin level, ejection fraction, and STS score was present between DN and WB. A single cardioplegia dose was given in 41 DN vs. 0 WB patients (p < 0.001), and retrograde cardioplegia was used 10 DN vs. 31 WB patients (p < 0.001). Mean cardiopulmonary bypass and cross clamp times were significantly shorter in the DN group versus WB group. Tranfusion rate, length of stay, intra-aortic balloon pump requirement, post-operative inotropic support, and 30-day mortality was no different between groups. One patient in the WB group required a mechanical support due to profound cardiogenic shock.ConclusionsDN cardioplegia may provide equivalent myocardial protection to existing cardioplegia without negative inotropic effects in the setting of acute myocardial infarction.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13019-014-0141-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transplantation is an acceptable treatment for patients with a failed Fontan. Clinical factors (instead of the indication for transplantation) appear to have the greatest correlation with early mortality.

Background and Aims The immediate post-ischemic period is marked by elevated intracellular calcium levels which can lead to irreversible myocyte injury. Del Nido cardioplegia was developed for use in the pediatric population to address the inability of immature myocardium to tolerate high levels of intracellular calcium following cardiac surgery. Our aim in this study is to determine if this solution can be used safely and effectively in an adult, re-operative population. Methods All patients undergoing isolated re-operative aortic valve replacement at our institution from 2010 to 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, co-morbidities, operative variables, post-operative complications, and patient outcomes were collected. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on cardioplegia strategy used: Whole blood cardioplegia (WB, n=61) and del Nido cardioplegia (DN, n=52). Results Mean age in the study was 73.4 ± 14.3 years and 86 patients were male (76.1%). Eighty-four patients had undergone prior CABG (74.3%). Patients in the DN group required significantly lower total volume of cardioplegia (1147.6 ± 447.2 mL DN vs. 1985.4 ± 691.1 mL WB, p<0.001) and retrograde cardioplegia dose (279.3 ± 445.1 mL DN vs. 1341.2 ± 690.8 mL WB, p<0.001). There were no differences in cross-clamp time, bypass time, post-operative complication rate, or patient outcomes between groups. Conclusions Del Nido cardioplegia use in an adult, re-operative aortic valve population offers equivalent post-operative outcomes when compared with whole blood cardioplegia. In addition, use of del Nido solution requires lower total and retrograde cardioplegia volumes in order to achieve adequate myocardial protection.