[Diagnosis of cellular respiratory arrest by NADH laser fluorimetry. Applications in heart surgery and in experimental pharmacology].

The continuous measurement of intratissular NADH concentration allows early detection of cellular respiration arrest during clinical situations, i.e. allows a non-destructive, in situ, continuous measurement of ATP formation. This detection enables the physician or surgeon to intervene during a phase of cellular respiration arrest, before structural cellular alterations occur, thereby preventing potential tissular necrosis. The method has now been validated in experimental cardiac surgery for the monitoring of myocardial preservation techniques during cardiopulmonary by-pass, and in cardiac pharmacology, for analysis of drugs' effects on myocardial energetic metabolism. Its industrial development is currently under way. Preliminary investigation strongly suggests the vast potential of this diagnostic method in both clinical and experimental fields.