title: Pretreatment with stellate ganglion blockade before ischemia reduces infarct size in rat hearts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) in cardio-protection against ischemia reperfusion injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective randomized, experimental study was carried out between August and October 2008 in the Department of Anesthesia, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey. Twenty-one rats were randomly divided into 3 groups; group 1--SGB group (rats with percutaneous ganglion blockade), group 2--preconditioned (P) group (rats that were subjected to ischemia and then reperfusion periods for 5 minutes), and group 3--control group (rats that were injected with normal saline).
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the ligation period, the length of arrhythmia was significantly shorter in group 2 compared with group 3 (p<0.001). The arrhythmia score in groups 1 and 2 was significantly lower compared with group 3 (p<0.001). In the reperfusion period, the length of arrhythmia was not significantly different in all study groups (p>0.05). But the arrhythmia score was significantly lower both in group 1 and group 3, compared with group 2 (p<0.02). Both in the ischemic and reperfusion periods, the incidence of arrhythmia was lowest in group 1. The infarct size was measured significantly less in groups 1 and 2 compared with group 3 (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pretreatment with the left SGB leads to lower arrhythmia scores and reduced infarct size in the Langendorff-perfused rat hearts compared with group 3, but not with group 2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu 14280, Turkey. gulcune@yahoo.com.tr
authors.forename: Nebahat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gulcu-Bulut
authors.forename: Ersoz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonca
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kocoglu
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bozdogan
authors.forename: Kazim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karaaslan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013233:Stellate Ganglion