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To determine the most effective dose regimen of aprotinin for infants undergoing arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries in reducing blood loss and postoperative packed red blood cell (PRBC) requirements. A total of 24 infants scheduled for arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries were included in the study. The infants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Group I (n = 8) patients received aprotinin in a dose of 20,000 kallikrein inhibiting units (KIU)/kg after induction of anesthesia, 20,000 KIU/kg was added to the pump prime, and 20,000 KIU/kg/hour infusion for three hours after weaning from bypass; group II (n = 8) patients received aprotinin 30,000 KIU/kg after induction of anesthesia, 30,000 KIU/kg was added to the pump prime and 30,000 KIU/Kg/hour infusion for three hours after weaning from bypass; group III patients (n = 8) received aprotinin 40,000 KIU/kg after induction of anesthesia, 40,000 KIU/kg was added to the pump prime and 40,000 KIU/kg/hour infusion for three hours after weaning from bypass. Postoperatively, the cumulative hourly blood loss and PRBC requirements were noted up to 24 hours from the time of admission in the intensive care unit (ICU). Use of blood and blood products were noted. Coagulation parameters such as hematocrit, activated clotting time (ACT), fibrinogen, prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), platelet count, and fibrin degradation products (FDP) were investigated before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), after protamine administration, and at four hours postoperatively in the ICU. The number of infants reexplored for increased mediastinal drainage was recorded. Renal functions were monitored by measuring urine output (hourly) and serum urea (mg%) and serum creatinine (mg%) at 24 hours. The sternal closure time was comparable in all the three groups. Cumulative blood loss (ml/kg/24 hours) was greatest in group I (17.30 ± 7.7), least in group III (8.14 ± 3.17), whereas in group II, it was 16.45 ± 6.33 (P = 0.019 group I versus group III; (P = 0.036 group II versus group III). Postoperative PRBC requirements were significantly less in high dose group III (P = 0.008, group I versus III; p = 0.116, group II versus group III) . Tests for coagulation performed at four hours postoperatively, viz. ACT, PT, INR, FDP, and platelets were comparable in the three groups. Urine output on CPB was comparable in all the groups. Serum urea and creatinine showed no significant difference between the three groups twenty four hours postoperatively. Aprotinin dosage regimen of 40,000 KIU/kg at induction, in CPB prime and postoperatively for three hours was most effective in reducing postoperative blood loss and PRBC transfusion requirements. Aprotinin does not have any adverse effect on renal function.

Background: Inflammation plays an important role in all the stages of atherosclerotic plaque development. The current study aimed at assessing the altered expression of genes functioning in inflammation within the early stage (ES) and advanced stage (AS) atherosclerotic plaques obtained from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery and identifying biomarker panel/s that may detect the status of plaque stages using peripheral blood samples., Methods: A section of ES and AS plaques and normal left internal mammary arteries (LIMA) were obtained from 8 patients undergoing the CABG surgery. Total RNA isolated was analyzed for mRNA and miRNA expression profile by Affymetrix arrays. A significant number of mRNAs was found to be differentially expressed in ES and AS plaque tissues relative to LIMA. The pathway analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs in the two plaque stages was also performed using DAVID Bioinformatics Database., Results: The mRNAs were found to be involved in critical inflammatory processes such as the toll-like receptor signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Few miRNAs targeting these mRNAs were also altered in the two plaque conditions. QRT-PCR results showed a similar expression pattern of a few of the mRNAs and miRNAs in peripheral blood of the same patients relative to healthy controls., Conclusion: Changes in mRNA and miRNA expression associated with various inflammatory processes occur in different atherosclerotic stage plaques as well as peripheral blood. Detection of such variations in patients' blood can be used as a possible prognostic tool to detect and/or predict the risk and stage of atherosclerosis., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Prevalence of both degenerative severe aortic stenosis (AS) and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) increases with age. Dual disease (AS+myocardial ATTR-CA) occurs in significant proportion of patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR)., Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ATTR-CA in severe AS in the Indian population, identify noninvasive predictors of its diagnosis, and understand its impact on prognosis., Methods: Symptomatic severe AS patients aged ≥65 years undergoing SAVR were enrolled. ATTR-CA diagnosis was based on preoperative 99m-technetium pyrophosphate (PYP) scan and intraoperatively obtained basal interventricular septum biopsy for myocardial ATTR-CA, and excised native aortic valve for isolated valvular ATTR-CA. Primary amyloidosis was excluded by serum/urine protein electrophoresis with serum immunofixation., Results: SAVR was performed in 46 AS patients (age 70 ± 5 years, 70% men). PYP scan was performed for 32 patients, with significant PYP uptake in 3 (n = 3 of 32, 9.4%), suggestive of myocardial ATTR-CA. On histopathological examination, none of the interventricular septum biopsy specimens had amyloid deposits, whereas 33 (71.7%) native aortic valves showed amyloid deposits, of which 19 (57.6%) had transthyretin deposition suggestive of isolated valvular amyloidosis. Noninvasive markers of dual disease included low myocardial contraction fraction (median [interquartile range], 28.8% [23.8% to 39.1%] vs 15.3% [9.3% to 16.1%]; P  = 0.006), deceleration time (215 [144 to 236] ms vs 88 [60 to 106] ms; P  = 0.009) and global longitudinal strain (-18.7% [-21.1% to -16.9%] vs -14.2% [-17.0% to -9.7%]; P  = 0.030). At 1-year follow-up, 2 patients died (4.3%); 1 each in myocardial ATTR-CA negative and positive groups (3.4% vs 33.3%; P  = 0.477)., Conclusions: Dual disease is not uncommon in India. Isolated valvular amyloidosis in severe AS is much more common., Competing Interests: Dr Dorbala has received consulting fees from Pfizer, GE Healthcare, and Ionetix; and has received grant support from Pfizer, GE Healthcare, and Attralus. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Background and Aims: Enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery is centred around multimodal analgesia which is becoming increasingly feasible with the advent of safer regional analgesic techniques such as fascial plane blocks. We designed this prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled study to compare the efficacy of serratus anterior plane block (SAPB), pectoral nerves (Pecs) II block, and intercostal nerve block (ICNB) for post-thoracotomy analgesia in cardiac surgery., Methods: 100 adults posted for cardiac surgery through a thoracotomy were randomly allocated to one of the three groups: SAPB, Pecs II or, ICNB wherein the patients received 2.5 mg/kg of 0.5% ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided block after completion of surgery. Postoperatively, intravenous (IV) paracetamol was used for multimodal and fentanyl was employed as rescue analgesia. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was evaluated at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours post-extubation., Results: The early mean VAS scores at 2, 4 and 6 hours were comparable in the 3 groups. The late mean VAS (8, 10 and 12 hours) was significantly lower in the SAPB and Pecs II group compared with that of the ICNB group ( P value <0.05). The cumulative rescue fentanyl dose was significantly higher in ICNB group compared to SAPB and Pecs II group ( P value <0.001). The SAPB group had the highest time to 1 st rescue analgesic requirement in contrast to the other groups., Conclusion: SAPB and Pecs II blocks are simple single-shot effective alternatives to ICNB with a prolonged analgesic duration following thoracotomy and can potentially enhance pain-free recovery after cardiac surgery., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Indian Journal of Anaesthesia.)

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia or Masson's tumor is a rare reactive disease of vascular origin characterized by exuberant proliferation of endothelial cells. Its importance lies in its ability to mimic a variety of diseases, both benign and malignant. Here, we present a unique case of Masson's tumor arising from the abdominal supraceliac aorta in a 32-year-old man initially misdiagnosed as leaking aortic pseudoaneurysm., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this article., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Background: Blood transfusion requirement during neonatal open heart surgeries is universal. Homologous blood transfusion (HBT) in pediatric cardiac surgery is used most commonly for priming of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system and for postoperative transfusion. To avoid the risks associated with HBT in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery, use of autologous umbilical cord blood (AUCB) transfusion has been described. We present our experience with the use of AUCB for neonatal cardiac surgery., Designs and Methods: Consecutive neonates scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery for various cardiac diseases who had a prenatal diagnosis made on the basis of a fetal echocardiography were included in this prospective observational study. After a vaginal delivery or a cesarean section, UCB was collected from the placenta in a 150-mL bag containing 5 mL of citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine-1 solution. The collected bag with 70-75 mL cord blood was stored at 2°C-6°C and tested for blood grouping and infections after proper labeling. The neonate's autologous cord blood was used for postcardiac surgery blood transfusion to replace postoperative blood loss., Results: AUCB has been used so far at our institute in 10 neonates undergoing cardiac surgery. The donor exposure in age and type of cardiac surgery-matched controls showed that the neonates not receiving autologous cord blood had a donor exposure to 5 donors (2 packed red blood cells [PRBCs], including 1 for CPB prime and 1 for postoperative loss, 1 fresh frozen plasma, 1 cryoprecipitate, and 1 platelet concentrate) compared to 1 donor for the AUCB neonate (1 PRBC for the CPB prime). Postoperative blood loss was similar in both the groups of matched controls and study group. Values of hemoglobin, total leukocyte count, platelet counts, and blood gas parameters were also similar., Conclusions: Use of AUCB for replacement of postoperative blood loss after neonatal cardiac surgery is feasible and reduces donor exposure to the neonate. Its use, however, requires a prenatal diagnosis of a cardiac defect by fetal echo and adequate logistic and psychological support from involved clinicians and the blood bank., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Background: Literature search reveals that postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurs in 15%-40% of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. Although several risk models exist for predicting the development of POAF, few have studied left atrial appendage (LAA) velocity. We hypothesize that an association between LAA velocity and development of POAF exists., Design and Methods: Single institution university hospital prospective observational clinical study performed between May 2016 and November 2016 in 96 adult patients undergoing CABG surgery utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Transesophageal echocardiography was performed perioperatively to measure LAA velocity and left atrial (LA) size after anesthetic induction, post-CPB and during the postoperative period before extubation. Student's t-test was used for inter-group comparisons. Data are expressed as mean ± (standard deviation). The value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: A total of 95 patients (69 males and 26 females) completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Of these, 21 (22%) (15 males and 5 females) developed POAF. The patient group which developed POAF was compared with the group that did not develop POAF. On comparing mean age of patients in each group (59 years in patients with no POAF and 63.71 years in patients with POAF, P = 0.04). LA volume indexed in POAF group (34.13 ml/m2) compared with that in group with no POAF (34.82 ml/m2) resulted in P = 0.04. Mean LAA velocities (pre-CPB, post-CPB, postoperative Intensive Care Unit) in group with no POAF were 41.06, 56.33, and 60.44 cm/s, respectively, whereas in the other group with POAF the values were 39.68, 55.04, and 58.09 cm/s, respectively. No statistical significance was noted (P > 0.05). Comparison of comorbidities also did not yield any significant results (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Decreasing LAA velocity does not appear to independently predict the development of POAF in patients undergoing CABG surgery with the use of CPB. There is, however, a positive correlation of POAF with age and LA volume.

While intra-caval and intra-cardiac extension of retroperitoneal tumors is extremely rare, it is almost unheard-of in benign tumors. We report the challenges in diagnosis and management of the first case of a renal angiomyolipoma (AML) with intra-ventricular extension in a young man who presented with pain and a lump in the abdomen.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare lung disease characterized by accumulation of excessive lung surfactant in the alveoli leading to restrictive lung functions and impaired gas exchange. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the treatment modality of choice, which is usually performed using double lumen endobronchial tube insertion under general anesthesia and alternating unilateral lung ventilation and washing with normal saline. It may be difficult to perform WLL in patients with severe hypoxemia wherein patients do not tolerate single lung ventilation. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (ECMO) has been used in such patients. We report a patient with autoimmune PAP following renal transplant who presented with marked hypoxemia and was managed by WLL under ECMO support.

Context: Frequent incidence of early postoperative memory impairment (POMI) after cardiac surgery remains a concern because of associated morbidity, impaired quality of life, and increased health care cost., Aim: To assess the effect of preoperative statin therapy on POMI in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery., Setting and Design: Prospective observational study in a tertiary level hospital., Methods: Sixty patients aged 45-65 years undergoing OPCAB surgery were allocated into two groups of 30 each. Group A patients were receiving statin and Group B patients were not receiving statins. All patients underwent memory function assessment preoperatively after admission to hospital and on the 6 th postoperative day using postgraduate institute memory scale., Statistical Analysis: Appropriate tests were applied with SPSS 20 to compare both groups. The value P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Multiple regression analysis was performed with confounding factors to determine the effect on memory impairment., Results: Patients in Group A showed significant postoperative deterioration in 6 of the 10 functions and in Group B showed deterioration in 9 of 10 functions tested compared to preoperative scores. Intergroup comparison detected less POMI in Group A compared to Group B and was statistically significant in 8 memory functions. Multiple regression analysis detected statin as an independent factor in preventing memory impairment., Conclusions: Preoperative statin therapy attenuates the early POMI in patients undergoing OPCAB. Future long-term studies will define the efficacy of statin on POMI.

Context: Arterial switch operation (ASO) has become the established treatment for correction of transposition of great arteries (TGA). Despite the immediate correction of abnormal hemodynamics, acute and delayed complications related to the coronaries may cause morbidity and mortality., Aims: We evaluated the incidence of perfusion abnormalities and safety of adenosine by stress-rest myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) [myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS)] using Tc-99m Sestamibi (MIBI) in asymptomatic children post-ASO., Settings and Design: Prospective study., Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-institutional study where stress-rest MPS was performed on 10 children of age between 1.25 and 6 years. Two of the patients had additional ventricular septal defect, one patient had left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and another had Taussig-Bing anomaly. All the patients underwent corrective surgery as a single-stage procedure at the age of 176 ± 212 days (range 9-560 days). Adenosine was administered at a rate of 140 μg/kg/min intravenously as continuous infusion for duration of 6 min., Statistical Analysis Used: All the continuous variables were summarized as mean ± standard deviation, or range and median. Mann-Whitney test for unpaired data and Wilcoxon Rank test for paired samples were used., Results: The average increase in heart rate over the basal heart rate after adenosine stress was 59.7 ± 17.0%. No acute or remote complications were observed in any case. None of the patients demonstrated myocardial perfusion defects, either at rest or after adenosine stress., Conclusions: MPS post-adenosine induced vasodilatation is safe and feasible in patients of ASO for transposition of great arteries. One-stage repair, implantation of excised coronary buttons within neo-aortic sinus, and minimal or no mobilization of proximal coronaries may eliminate the occurrence of perfusion defects in patients of corrected TGA.

Iron deficiency state in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease can mimic as well as aggravate hyperviscosity symptoms. Correction of iron deficiency in these cases is expected to improve symptoms. We report an unexpected occurrence of refractory cyanotic spell in a child with tetralogy of Fallot due to thrombus in right ventricular outflow tract following intravenous iron sucrose therapy., (© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: The ideal management strategy for patients presenting late with transposition of great arteries (TGA), intact ventricular septum (IVS), and regressed left ventricle (LV) is not clear. Primary switch, two-stage switch, and Senning operation are the options. Left ventricular retraining prior to arterial switch by ductal stenting may be effective, but the experience is very limited., Methods: Five of six children aged 3-6 months with TGA-IVS and regressed LV underwent recanalization and transcatheter stenting of ductus arteriosus. The ductal stent was removed during arterial switch surgery., Results: The procedure was successful in 5/6 patients. All the patients had totally occluded ductus and needed recanalization with coronary total occlusion hardware. The ductus was dilated and stented with coronary stents. In all the patients, there was significant luminal narrowing despite adequate stent placement and deployment. Two patients needed reintervention for abrupt closure of the stent. Ductal stenting resulted in left ventricular preparedness within 7-14 days. One patient died of progressive sepsis after 14 days of stenting, even though the LV was prepared. Four patients underwent successful uneventful arterial switch surgery. During surgery, it was observed that the mucosal folds of duct were protruding through the struts of the stent in one patient., Conclusions: Ductal stenting is a good alternative strategy for left ventricular retraining in TGA with regressed LV even in patients with occluded ducts.

Indications for extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after pediatric cardiac surgery have been increasing despite the absence of encouraging survival statistics. Modification of ECMO circuit led to the development of integrated ECMO cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit at the author's institute, for children undergoing repair of transposition of great arteries among other congenital heart diseases (CHD). In this report, they analyzed the outcome of children with CHD, undergoing surgical repair and administered ECMO support in the last 10 years. The outcome was analyzed with reference to the timing of intervention, use of integrated ECMO-CPB circuit, indication for ECMO support, duration of ECMO run and the underlying CHD. The results reveal a significantly improved survival rate with the use of integrated ECMO-CPB circuit and early time of intervention rather than using ECMO as a last resort in the management. The patients with reactive pulmonary artery hypertension respond favorably to ECMO support. In all scenarios, early intervention is the key to survival.

Objective: The surgical management of infants older than 2 weeks with d-transposition of great arteries and intact ventricular septum (IVS) is a matter of debate. Some studies have presented good results of primary arterial switch operation (ASO) in these children. The aim of this study was to assess the surgical outcome of the primary ASO in children with d-transposition of great arteries and IVS presenting beyond 6 weeks of age., Methods: The clinical records of the children (more than 6 weeks age) with d-transposition of great arteries and IVS, who underwent primary ASO at our institute between January 2003 and June 2009 were reviewed. Left ventricular geometry and interventricular septal motion on the transthoracic cross-sectional echocardiogram were taken to assess the left ventricle preparedness., Results: Fifty-five children (age ranging from 42 days to 9 years) with d-transposition of great arteries and IVS underwent primary ASO. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 94.7±21.3 min, while mean aortic cross-clamp time was 53.2±8.1 min. Seven (13%) of these children died during their hospital stay. The children who had severely regressed left ventricle (banana-shaped left ventricular geometry) were operated with integrated extra corporeal membrane oxygenation-cardiopulmonary bypass (ECMO-CPB) circuit for left ventricular re-training. The children with regressed left ventricle required longer ventilatory time and inotropic support. Recovery of left ventricular geometry has taken 1-6 months depending on age at surgery., Conclusions: The children older than 6 weeks with d-transposition of great arteries and IVS can benefit from primary ASO with acceptable results. However, the need for mechanical support in some of the older patients may limit the widespread adoption of such a strategy., (Copyright © 2010 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Over the years the age limit for the arterial switch operation (ASO) is being redefined with increasing expertise and adoption of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) in the surgical program. We conducted a study to see the differences in ultrastructural features in eight children with transposition of the great arteries, four with prepared and the remaining four with regressed left ventricle (LV) during the ASO. Children with prepared LV had prominent Z bands with uniform and round mitochondria, few fat vacuoles and minimal collagen in the background, whereas children with regressed LV had Z band disruption with non-uniform elliptical mitochondria and myofibrillary disarray and an abundance of fat vacuoles and collagen in the background. Children with regressed LV and abundance of collagen had a prolonged postoperative course. Collagen deposition in the LV may point to the situation where the postoperative course following ASO may be prolonged due to the increased time required for the regressed LV to increase its mass and to sustain the systemic circulation.

Unruptured aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva (ASV) is a rare congenital anomaly. We describe a case of multiple unruptured ASV involving right and left aortic sinuses causing congestive cardiac failure in a 16-year-old boy who underwent successful surgical repair.

Objective: Our aim was to define the prevalence of specific sequelae after repair of partial atrioventricular septal defect., Patients and Methods: A total of 132 consecutive patients undergoing repair of partial atrioventricular septal defect were studied for mortality, left atrioventricular valve function, reoperations, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and supraventricular arrhythmias. Age was 2.5 months to 43 years (median, 54 months); 13 (9.8%) were more than 20 years old. Preoperatively, 26.5% patients were in New York Heart Association class III/IV, 15.9% had supraventricular arrhythmias, 25.7% had pulmonary artery hypertension, 16.6% had moderate-to-severe left valvular regurgitation, and 29.5% had additional left atrioventricular valvular malformations. Autologous pericardium (n = 127) and right atrial patch (n = 5) were used to patch the defect. Left atrioventricular valvuloplasty was performed in 91% of patients despite older age and additional malformations of the left atrioventricular valve., Results: Operative and late mortalities were 4.5% and 3.2%, respectively. Postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias were observed in 11.3% of patients. Reoperations were required in 5.8% patients because of a residual atrial septal defect (n = 1) and severe left atrioventricular valvular regurgitation (n = 6). At a mean follow-up of 106.82 +/-55.04 months, actuarial survival was 83.70% +/- 0.07%. The risk of death was 38.92 (95% confidence intervals: 7.8-195.1) and 6.88 (95% confidence intervals: 1.79-38.18) times higher in patients with grossly malformed left atrioventricular valve and preoperative pulmonary artery hypertension, respectively, by logistic regression analysis., Conclusions: Detailed assessment of the valve morphology and individualized valvuloplasty techniques improves the long-term survival after repair of partial atrioventricular septal defects. The presence of grossly malformed left valvular apparatus, pulmonary artery hypertension, and moderate-to-severe left atrioventricular valve regurgitation are independent predictors of death and defect-related morbidity after surgical repair.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the morphologic characteristics and other risk factors that may predispose patients with mixed totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection to continuing high mortality after surgery., Methods: Fifty-seven consecutive patients aged 15 days to 18 years (median, 6 months) underwent rechanneling of mixed totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Twenty-three patients had "2+2" pattern (I category), 29 had "3+1" pattern (II category), and 5 patients had pulmonary venous connections of different combinations (III category). Obstructive patterns involving one or more pulmonary veins were present in 19 (33.3%) patients., Results: Operative and late mortality rates were 19.3% and 4.3%, respectively. At a mean follow-up of 63.26 +/- 58.47 months, actuarial survival was 86.9% +/- 0.07% in category I, 86.2% +/- 0.06% in category II, and 20.0% +/- 0.18% in category III (log-rank, P = .001), respectively. At their last follow-up, all survivors (n = 43) had a Ross clinical heart failure score of 0 to 2., Conclusions: Patients with a "2+2" pattern of mixed totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection constitute the safe anatomic category for rechanneling, followed by the "3+1" variety. Cross-sectional echocardiography and/or computed tomographic angiography are mandatory to provide necessary diagnostic information and define the anatomy. Patients aged 2 months or younger, obstructive totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection, and perioperative pulmonary hypertensive crises were significant risk factors for death by logistic regression analysis. The risk of death was 5.85 times higher (95% confidence interval: 1.46-35.68; P = .02) in patients with category III of mixed TAPVC. The precise technique adopted in an individual patient depends on the pattern of anatomic drainage, and an individualized surgical approach is recommended.

Cerebral hypoperfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery has been thought to be a factor in the aetiology of brain damage with evidence of post-operative neurological deficits. Cardiac-specific biomarkers such as troponin-I, troponin-T and CK-MB have been used extensively to predict myocardial injury and ischaemia. This prospective study investigated the level of troponin-I release in both off-pump and CPB-technique CABG surgery, as well as postulated a relationship of troponin release and post-operative neurological outcome. A total of 44 adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) were enrolled into either an off-pump or on-pump groups, with 22 patients participating in each. Group A (on-pump) underwent myocardial revascularisation with CPB and cardioplegic arrest, while Group B (off pump) underwent beating heart surgery. The measurement of troponin-I is a 1-step enzyme immunoassay method, with specificity and sensitivity set at 0.4 ug/mL. Neurological assessment was done using the NIH Stroke Scale, and neuropsychologic assessment was assessed on cognitive function using modified Weschler Memory Scale, for which scores were standardized to achieve a composite measure of concentration. A set of statistical analysis was done to correlate troponin-I release with different surgical techniques of CPB and OPCAB. Although each independent technique showed a marked rise of troponin-I from baseline to 6 hours post-operatively, the difference in troponin release was not significant between the 2 groups at specified time intervals (p=0.124). There was however a significant correlation of troponin-I release with the number of grafts used in the surgery, irrespective of the type of grafts or surgical technique. None of the patients in either group showed any neurological or cognitive deficits presenting at day 3 and day 7 post-operatively. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is no significant short-term cognitive or neurological dysfunctions post-operatively, as indicated by troponin-I release in assessing the severity of myocardial injury.

We have studied the efficacy of epsilon aminocaproic acid in reducing postoperative blood loss in infants and children with congenital cyanotic cardiac anomalies undergoing corrective operative procedures. This prospective study was carried out on 170 infants and children randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A acted as the control group and received normal saline as placebo while group B patients received epsilon aminocaproic acid (100 mg/kg body wt) intravenously slowly soon after anaesthetic induction followed by 100 mg/kg in the cardiopulmonary bypass pump at the time of starting of cardiopulmonary bypass and 100 mg/kg after weaning from bypass over a period of 3 h. In group A the time for sternal closure after separation from bypass and administration of protamine was 75.18 +/- 5.5 min and in group B 50.7 +/- 5.2, (P < 0.001). Blood loss at 24 h in group A was 42.6 +/- 6.9 ml/kg/24 h and in group B 23.7 +/- 5.8 ml/kg/24 h, (P < 0.001). The need for packed red cells in group A was 21.8 +/- 7.1 ml/kg/24 h and in group B 10.7 +/- 7.8 ml/kg/24 h, (P < 0.001). The need for platelet concentrate in group A was 22.0 +/- 6.7 ml/kg/24 h and group B 6.2 +/- 3.2 ml/kg/24 h, (P < 0.001). Fibrin degradation products (split) in group A was 8.2 +/- 0.8 micrograms/ml, and group B 3.8 +/- 1.3 micrograms/ml, (P < 0.001). Reexploration rate was also considerably reduced in group B, 5 of 85 (6%) compared to group A, 13 of 85 (15%), (P < 0.001). It was found that epsilon aminocaproic acid is effective in reducing postoperative blood loss, packed red cells and plasma product requirements in paediatric patients undergoing corrective surgical procedures for congenital cyanotic heart diseases.