Complement activation and cardiac surgery: a novel target for improving outcomes.
Complement activation and the resulting inflammatory response is an important potential mechanism for multisystem organ injury in cardiac surgery. Novel therapeutic strategies using complement inhibitors may hold promise for improving outcomes for cardiac surgical patients by attenuating complement activation or its biologically active effector molecules. Recent clinical trials evaluating complement inhibitors have provided important data to further delineate the impact of complement activation and its inhibition on clinical outcomes. In this review we examine the role of complement activation and its inhibition as a therapeutic approach in cardiac surgery.
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. gstahl@zeus.bwh.harvard.edu
Gregory L
GL
Stahl
Stanton K
SK
Shernan
Peter K
PK
Smith
Jerrold H
JH
Levy
D000818:Animals; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators