Anoxic hypothermic cardioplegia compared to intermittent anoxic fibrillatory cardiac arrest. Clinical and metabolic experience with 1080 patients.

Appropriately applied, hypothermic cardioplegia allows an excellent surgical setting that can significantly reduce the myocardial ischemic injury resulting from anoxia. One thousand eighty adult and pediatric patients underwent a variety of corrective cardial surgical procedures utilizing cold potassium cardioplegic solution injected into the coronary arteries via the aortic root. Myocardial septal temperature was maintained at 18--20 degrees during arrested time. This group of patients was compared to a group of 220 patients that underwent intermittent normothermic ischemic arrest to perform cardiac surgical procedures. Significant reduction in morbidity, mortality, perioperative myocardial infarction was noted in favor of the cardioplegic group. Metabolic coronary sinus blood analysis in the group undergoing surgery with cardioplegia revealed favorable changes in myocardial lactate and oxygen extraction.