Del Nido Cardioplegia Versus Cold Blood Cardioplegia in Adult Cardiac Surgery: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Del nido cardioplegia in adults: a retrospective observational study in comparison to modified St. Thomas cardioplegia in cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

St. Thomas cardioplegia is commonly administered to adults, yet repeated dosing at brief intervals is required. Del Nido's cardioplegic solution provides a prolonged duration of safe myocardial arrest, yet it was primarily intended for pediatric cardiac surgery. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in using Del Nido's in adults; this might be due to its ease of administration and extended re-dosing intervals. This study contrasted Del Nido's to modified St. Thomas cardioplegia in adults.

METHODS

This study was conducted on 200 patients. Troponin-T was the primary outcome within the first 24 and 48 h post-surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass time, cross-clamp time, intraoperative use of inotropic support, defibrillator and/or intra-aortic balloon were the secondary outcomes of the study.

RESULTS

There was a significant reduction in post-operative Troponin-T levels in the first 24 and 48 h within Del Nido's group compared to the modified St. Thomas group. The cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times were also found to be lower within Del Nido's group.

CONCLUSION

This study has demonstrated a significant reduction in early postoperative Troponin-T levels as well as operative times favoring Del Nido's in adults.

Novel Strategies to Improve the Cardioprotective Effects of Cardioplegia

The use of cardioprotective strategies as adjuvants of cardioplegic solutions has become an ideal alternative for the improvement of post-surgery heart recovery. The choice of the optimal cardioplegia, as well as its distribution mechanism, remains controversial in the field of cardiovascular surgery. There is still a need to search for new and better cardioprotective methods during cardioplegic procedures. New techniques for the management of cardiovascular complications during cardioplegia have evolved with new alternatives and additives, and each new strategy provides a tool to neutralize the damage after ischemia/reperfusion events. Researchers and clinicians have committed themselves to studying the effect of new strategies and adjuvant components with the potential to improve the cardioprotective effect of cardioplegic solutions in preventing myocardial ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury during cardiac surgery. The aim of this review is to explore the different types of cardioplegia, their protection mechanisms, and which strategies have been proposed to enhance the function of these solutions in hearts exposed to cardiovascular pathologies that require surgical alternatives for their corrective progression.

Clinical impact of del Nido cardioplegia in adult cardiac surgery: A prospective randomized trial

OBJECTIVE

The study objective was to assess the benefits of del Nido cardioplegia compared with cold blood cardioplegia solution in terms of myocardial protection during adult cardiac surgery.

METHODS

A total of 474 adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve surgery, thoracic aortic surgery, or combined procedures were randomized to the del Nido cardioplegia group (n = 234) or the cold blood cardioplegia solution group (n = 240) after provided informed consent. The primary end points assessed inotropic support requirements, severe cardiovascular events, and troponin trend within the first 48 hours of intensive care unit stay. Reperfusion arrhythmias, aortic crossclamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times, and other clinical perioperative variables were considered as secondary end points.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were found regarding postoperative inotropic support requirements or the incidence of severe cardiovascular events. The del Nido cardioplegia group showed a higher return to spontaneous sinus rhythm (P< .001), a lower number of defibrillation attempts (P< .001), and an earlier peak troponin value in the postoperative period. Peak blood glucose levels and intravenous insulin requirements were significantly lower in the del Nido cardioplegia group. We found no significant differences regarding aortic crossclamp or cardiopulmonary bypass time. We did observe a lower incidence of postoperative stroke in the del Nido cardioplegia group (2.6% vs 6.7%; P= .035).

CONCLUSIONS

del Nido cardioplegia can be used safely and with comparable outcomes compared with traditional cardioplegia solutions. Additional advantages over glycemic control, reperfusion arrhythmias, and its comfortable redosing interval make del Nido an interesting alternative for myocardial protection in adult cardiac surgery. A significant decrease in postoperative stroke will require further research to shed light on the results of this study. VIDEO ABSTRACT.