Successful application of hypothermia combined with intra-aortic balloon pump support to low-cardiac-output state after open heart surgery.

The authors report a successful application of hypothermia, along with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support, to postcardiotomy ventricular failure. Surface-cooling hypothermia was applied in 8 patients after open heart surgery. The original cardiac procedure consisted of 3 aortocoronary bypass graftings (ACBGs), 2 aortic valve replacements (AVRs), 1 repair for left ventricular (LV) rupture after mitral valve replacement (MVR), 1 MVR + ACBG, and 1 MVR + AVR + tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TAP). Their ages ranged from fifty-two to sixty-eight years with a mean of sixty-one years. Hemodynamic criteria for induction of hypothermia included cardiac index (CI) less than 2.0 L/min/m2 with left atrial pressure greater than 18 mmHg despite the use of IABP and maximum pharmacologic support. Blood temperature was maintained at around 33 degrees C. By six hours after induction of hypothermia the tissue oxygen consumption decreased significantly with no hemodynamic deterioration as compared with that before cooling. The duration of hypothermia ranged from thirty-six to one hundred fifty-nine hours with a mean of seventy-eight hours. All 8 patients finally discontinued IABP support with a mean driving time of one hundred thirty-two hours. Five of them were ultimately discharged from the hospital and returned to their previous life-style. The authors believe that, from the perspective of monetary and personal resources, the use of hypothermia with IABP support could be a therapeutic option for patients with postcardiotomy ventricular failure.