title: The salvage potential of coronary sinus interventions: meta-analysis and pathophysiologic consequences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intermittent coronary sinus occlusion has been described to be effective in salvaging ischemic myocardium. This meta-analysis aims to review the efficacy of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion and intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion of arterial blood as methods of myocardial salvage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Medline search was performed to review the published literature on intermittent coronary sinus occlusion. The study inclusion criterion was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with area of infarction (expressed as a percentage of the area at risk) as the primary end point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven experimental trials comprising 125 test animals were found that analyzed the effects of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion on ischemic damage during coronary occlusion. A further 5 studies comprising 88 animals were designed to evaluate the effect of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion of arterial blood on the infarct size. A meta-analysis of the 7 studies analyzing the effect of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion revealed a significant reduction in infarct size of 29.3% in the treatment group compared with that in the placebo group (P <.001; 95% confidence interval, -40.9 to -17.7). A meta-analysis of the 5 trials analyzing the effect of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion revealed a reduction in infarct size of 39.4% in the treatment group compared with that in the placebo group (P <.001; 95% confidence interval, -48.9 to -29.9). Comparison between intermittent coronary sinus occlusion and intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion of arterial blood showed no statistical difference (P =.19). An inverse relationship between achieved coronary sinus pressure increase per minute and infarct size could be found in the intermittent coronary sinus occlusion group (r = -0.92; P <.007), whereas in combination with retroperfusion, there was a negative correlation both between achieved coronary sinus pressure and the amount of the retroperfusate and myocardial salvage (r = -0.97; P <.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of intermittent coronary sinus occlusion and intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion of arterial blood significantly decreases ischemic damage during coronary occlusions. Intermittent coronary sinus occlusion in combination with retroperfusion exhibits no significant profit in salvaging the ischemic myocardium in comparison with that provided by intermittent coronary sinus occlusion alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Internal Medicine II, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Bonni
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Syeda
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schukro
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heinze
authors.forename: Kourosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Modaressi
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glogar
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maurer
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mohl
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D000818:Animals; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D016014:Linear Models; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate; D013552:Swine