IntroductionMyocardial protection is important in preventing the damaging effects of a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on the myocardium, including ischemic and reperfusion injury (1). Eliminating or reducing myocardial injury can improve the clinical prognosis of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Cardiac biomarkers are associated with the degree of cardiac injury and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), lactate, and creatine phosphokinase-MB (CKMB) are especially sensitive biomarkers for evaluating cardiac cell damage (2-4). Pyruvate, lactate, glucose, and insulin are respiratory substrates indicating heart perfusion. The level of pyruvate in the blood increases in the anaerobic state and pyruvate is converted to lactate under these conditions (3-5).Sevoflurane, a potent inhalation agent, decreases the inflammatory response and improves myocardial function after CPB (6). Dexmedetomidine, a selective and specific α-2 adrenoceptor agonist, has been frequently used as a sedative or adjuvant anesthetic drug in cardiac surgery. Dexmedetomidine has also been known to have some neuroprotective effects; however, data are insufficient for its cardioprotective effects in human studies. Remifentanil, a fast-acting opioid, has been generally used in cardiac surgery for cardiac protection before sternotomy (7).This study compared the cardiac effects of sevoflurane plus dexmedetomidine with those of sevoflurane plus remifentanil during adult cardiac surgery with CPB by examining levels of lactate, pyruvate, CKMB, and cTnI in patient blood samples. The hypothesis is that a difference Background/aim: Myocardial protection is an important factor of open heart surgery and biological biomarkers (lactate, CKMB, cardiac troponin I, and pyruvate) are used to assess myocardial damage. This study compares the effects of dexmedetomidine and remifentanil on myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.
Materials and methods:Patients scheduled for elective CABG surgery (n = 60) were included in this study. Anesthesia induction was introduced with propofol, fentanyl, and vecuronium bromide. Anesthesia was maintained with remifentanil infusion and sevoflurane in the remifentanil group (Group R) and with dexmedetomidine infusion and sevoflurane in the dexmedetomidine group (Group D). Blood samples for biochemical markers were taken from the coronary sinus catheter before cardiopulmonary bypass (T1), 20 min after aortic cross-clamping (T2), 20 min after removal of the aortic cross-clamping (T3), and 10 min after separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (T4).Results: Demographic data were similar between the groups. Lactate level at the T2 period and CKMB levels during the study period were lower in Group D than in Group R. In both groups, all values except pyruvate significantly increased over time.
Conclusion:The dexmedetomidine-sevoflurane combination may improve the cardioprotective effect in comparison with remifentanilsevoflurane in CABG surgery.