Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardioplegic arrest is the most commonly used cardiac surgery procedure in the Western world.
1 This procedure is associated with periods of oxygen deprivation and possibly a damaging effect to the
Heart. Restoration of coronary blood flow after release of the aortic cross clamp leads to ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Subsequent production of reactive oxygen species results in cardiomyocyte death due to apoptosis.
2-4 These changes may cause (transient) cardiac dysfunction,
5,6 and therefore limiting the duration of cardioplegic arrest may reduce cell injury. …