Why the study?
Does nitric oxide production and NOS activity change following reperfusion in patients undergoing cardiac surgery?
Does nitric oxide production and NOS activity change following reperfusion in patients undergoing cardiac surgery?
Increased nitric oxide production and NOS activity following reperfusion during cardiac surgery coincides with clinical myocardial stunning, suggesting a pathophysiological role for NO.
Supports NO role in post-reperfusion stunning; leaves open whether NOS modulation improves outcomes.
Nitric oxide (NO) production by the human heart has been demonstrated in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Similar to what has been described in other species, a basal production of NO by the human heart is seen (126 +/- 42 pmol/min per gram). Following reperfusion, at the end of the procedure, the level of NO production increases significantly reaching concentrations of 1430 +/- 330 pmol/min per gram. Increased activity for the enzyme NO synthase (NOS) (8.0 +/- 1.2 pmol/mg prebypass vs 26.4 +/- 4.8 pmol/mg postbypass) coincides with changes in NO production and occurs at a time when myocardial stunning is clinically detectable. The significance of these findings is discussed and suggest a role for NO in the pathophysiology of myocardial stunning.
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Hattler et al. (1994) studied this question.
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