Influence of extra corporeal circulation on myocardial oxygen tension: results of an animal model.
BACKGROUND
Experimental data have shown the potential risk of cellular damage of the myocardium during extra corporeal circulation (ECC). The influence of ECC on myocardial oxygen tension however remained unclear. Therefore, the influence of ECC on the oxygen tension in a beating heart was investigated.


METHODS
In a pig animal model flexible pO2 microcatheters were positioned in the midmyocardium of the left ventricle and the skeletal muscle and tissue oxygen tension during ECC were monitored and compared with data of a control group without ECC.


RESULTS
ECC and unload of the heart caused a significantly higher increase of myocardial pO2 than in a non-ECC control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show the beneficial effect of ECC on myocardial pO2. This may support the use of ECC in coronary artery bypass grafting because the potential myocardial injury due to ECC is not related to myocardial ischemia. On the contrary, myocardial pO2 was even increased during extracorporeal circulation in this study.
Matschke
K
K
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Technology Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 76, 01307 Dresden, Germany. k.matschke@herzzentrum-dresden.com
Tugtekin
S M
SM
Knaut
M
M
Mrowietz
C
C
Park
J-W
JW
Jung
F
F
D000818:Animals; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005112:Extracorporeal Circulation; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D008839:Microelectrodes; D023421:Models, Animal; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D013552:Swine
D010100:Oxygen