[Clinical application of recombinant human SOD for the protection of ischemia reperfusion injury during open heart surgery].

We have applied recombinant human superoxide dismutase (RH-SOD) to prevent ischemia reperfusion injury in the patients who received open heart surgery. Twenty-four patients were divided into 2 groups; group A had no treatment as control and group B received bolus injection of RH-SOD (35,000 IU/kg) into cardiopulmonary bypass 5 minutes before reperfusion. Arterial and coronary sinus blood was collected to measure chemiluminescence (ChL) value, SOD activity, lactate and pyruvate level, and several parameters of myocardial oxygen metabolism after reperfusion. Arterio-venous difference of ChL value showed the tendency of less ChL generation of the heart in group B compared with those in group A. But no other parameters showed significant difference between the two groups. Our data suggested that this way of the administration of RH-SOD failed to improve the myocardial protection during open heart surgery. Further investigation, such as dose response study, might be required to determine whether RH-SOD possess beneficial effects or not in the clinical setting.