The coronary flow velocity reserve of the left anterior descending artery was examined by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in 189 patients (male 125, female 64) with a history of Kawasaki disease and 10 volunteers (control). Their ages ranged from 6 to 40 years (median 22 years). The patients were divided into nine groups based on the left anterior descending artery lesions. The coronary flow velocity reserve was measured by intravenous administration of adenosine triphosphate (0.15 mg/kg/minute) while fasting. The coronary flow velocity reserve was calculated as the ratio of hyperaemic to basal mean diastolic flow velocities. The respective groups were as follows: control, no coronary artery lesions (n = 39), no coronary artery lesions in the right coronary artery (n = 29), regression (n = 11), aneurysm at the bifurcation of the left coronary artery (n = 26), aneurysm of the left anterior descending artery (n = 15), localised stenosis <75% (n = 12), localised stenosis ≥75% (n = 17), segmental stenosis (n = 5) and coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 36). One-factor ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test was used to compare the coronary flow velocity reserve among the groups.

The coronary flow velocity reserve was significantly lower in the localised stenosis ≥75%, segmental stenosis and coronary artery grafting groups than in the other groups (p < 0.05).

The endothelial function in the epicoronary artery was preserved in patients with a history of Kawasaki disease and dilated coronary artery lesions.

Although coronary artery bypass grafting is not frequently performed in children, Kawasaki disease is one of the most common indications for coronary artery bypass grafting in children. Here, we reviewed the long-term clinical outcomes including graft patency after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Between March 2004 and March 2013, six patients with Kawasaki disease underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. All patients were male. Their median age was 13.0 years (interquartile range, 7.8–17.8 years) at the timing of coronary artery bypass grafting, and the median age at the onset of Kawasaki disease was 3.3 years (interquartile range, 1.0–7.0 years). Four patients presented with multiple lesions including aneurysms.

The median follow-up duration was 12.1 years (interquartile range, 9.5–13.1 years), and there were no operative complications or overall mortality. One patient had pre-operative symptoms such as exertional chest pain and dyspnoea on exertion, whereas one patient had ventricular tachyarrhythmia. There was an improvement in subjective symptoms after surgery in two patients. The left internal thoracic artery, right internal thoracic artery, and saphenous vein were used in five (83.3%), one (16.7%), and two (33.3%) cases, respectively. In all six patients, post-operative single-photon emission CT findings showed improved perfusion compared with pre-operative single-photon emission CT. All grafts were patent as confirmed by coronary angiography or CT angiography.

Coronary artery bypass grafting could be a good surgical option in children with coronary lesions caused by Kawasaki disease in terms of graft patency and myocardial perfusion.

During off-pump coronary bypass grafting, surgical manipulation and dislocation of the heart may cause cardiovascular instability. Monitoring of cardiac output facilitates intraoperative haemodynamic management but pulmonary artery catheters are often considered too invasive. Pulse contour analysis and transoesophageal echocardiography could serve as alternatives, but there is controversy about their accuracies. We validated pulse contour analysis using a standard radial arterial catheter (PulseCO™) and aortic Doppler flowmetry with transoesophageal echocardiography in patients undergoing off-pump coronary bypass surgery. Pulmonary arterial thermodilution served as the reference technique.

In 20 patients undergoing off-pump coronary bypass, cardiac output was measured with bolus thermodilution (COTD), pulse contour analysis (COPC), and transoesophageal echocardiography (COecho) at fixed time intervals during the procedure. Data were compared using linear regression and Bland–Altman analysis. At the end of the procedure, dobutamine was infused at a rate of 2.5 μg kg−1 min−1 in six patients to study the agreement between methods in quantifying changes in cardiac output.

Comparison between COPC and COTD showed a bias ± limits of agreement of −0.03 ± 1.30 L min−1 (mean error 29%). Doppler echocardiography was not always feasible when the heart was displaced from the oesophagus and had lower accuracy: bias ± limits of agreement vs. COTD was 0.45 ± 1.93 (mean error 43%). Increases in cardiac output induced by dobutamine were well quantified both by pulse contour analysis (COPC = 0.76 × COTD + 0.58; r2 = 0.65) and Doppler, although the latter tended to overestimate these changes (COecho = 1.58 × COTD − 0.13; r2 = 0.53).

Calibrated pulse contour analysis using the PulseCO system is an acceptable technique to measure cardiac output non-invasively in off-pump coronary bypass patients. Doppler echocardiography performs less well and is not always feasible with transoesophageal echocardiography when the heart is displaced.

The haemodynamic responses during extubation can cause complications after open-heart surgery. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of esmolol and magnesium before extubation on these haemodynamic responses.

Following the approval of local Ethics Committee, 120 patients having coronary artery bypass grafting with extubation in the intensive care unit were included in the study. Patients were allocated to receive esmolol 1 mg kg−1 (group I, n = 40), magnesium 30 mg kg−1 (Group II, n = 40) or normal saline (Group III, n = 40). Study medication was administered as a 20-min infusion in a volume of 20 mL. Patients were extubated just after termination of the infusion. Heart rate, blood pressure and central venous pressure were recorded prior to drug administration, before extubation, during extubation and 1 min after extubation.

Heart rate was lower in Group I than in Groups II (P < 0.05) and III (P < 0.001) and lower in Group II than in Group III (P < 0.05) during extubation. It was also lower in Group I than in Group III (P < 0.05) after extubation. Systolic blood pressure was lower in Group I than in Groups II and III (P < 0.001) during extubation. Diastolic blood pressure was higher in Group III than in Groups I and II during extubation (P < 0.001) and after extubation (P < 0.05). Mean arterial pressure was lower in Group I than in Groups II and III (P < 0.001) during extubation, lower in Group II than in Group III (P < 0.05) during extubation and lower in Group I than in Group III (P < 0.05) after extubation.

We found that using esmolol before extubation following coronary artery bypass graft surgery prevents undesirable haemodynamic responses while magnesium reduces undesirable haemodynamic responses but does not prevent them.

Arterial pulse waveform analysis has been proposed for cardiac output (CO) determination and monitoring without calibration or thermodilution (FloTrac™/Vigileo™; Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA). The accuracy and clinical applicability of this technology has not been fully evaluated. We designed this prospective study to compare the accuracy of the FloTrac™ system (COFT) vs. pulmonary artery catheter standard bolus thermodilution (COPAC) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

We studied 11 patients referred for coronary artery bypass grafting. COFT and COPAC were determined at six time points in the operating room including before and 5 min after volume expansion (500 mL 6% hetastarch). Measurements were performed on arrival in the intensive care unit and every 4 h afterwards. Bland–Altman analysis was used to assess the agreement between COFT and COPAC.

COPAC ranged from 2.0 to 7.6 L min−1 and COFT ranged from 1.9 to 8.2 L min−1. There was a significant relationship between COPAC and COFT (r = 0.662; P < 0.001). Agreement between COPAC and COFT was −0.26 ± 0.87 L min−1. Volume expansion induced a significant increase in both COPAC and COFT (from 3.4 ± 0.8 to 4.4 ± 1.0 L min−1; P < 0.001 and from 3.9 ± 1.2 to 5.0 ± 1.1 L min−1; P < 0.001, respectively) and there was a significant relationship between percent change in COPAC and COFT following volume expansion (r = 0.722; P = 0.01).

We found clinically acceptable agreement between COFT and COPAC in this setting. This new device has potential clinical applications.

Despite the absence of cardiopulmonary bypass, systemic anticoagulation is needed for off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. The aim of the current review is to describe the influence of OPCAB surgery on hemostatic activation and to review the literature with regard to perioperative anticoagulation protocols in OPCAB surgery.

Research of the pertinent literature with appropriate terms for anticoagulation in OPCAB surgery.

While during on-pump cardiac surgery a target activated clotting time (ACT) value of 400–480 is generally accepted, to date no standardized target ACT value for OPCAB surgery has been established. However, an ACT value of > 300 seconds is accepted by approximately 80% of US/Canadian surgeons and 60% of European surgeons. Even given the large variation commercially available heparins, the inter-individual variability of the effect of heparins on the ACT, and large differences in coagulation activation and ‘clot detection’ of currently used ACT systems, this target ACT corresponds to a heparin dose of approximately 150–300 IU/kg. New anticoagulant drugs have been proposed, acting through a selective anti-Xa activity (danaparoid) or directly inhibiting thrombin (bivalirudin).

Anticoagulation management is performed without any internationally accepted standard and, due to this and the lack of adequately powered studies, there is scarce information about the effects of OPCAB surgery on hemostatic activation in the immediate perioperative period. Although limited to two modest studies, bivalirudin appears to be an interesting option for the future.

To evaluate the effects of total intravenous anaesthesia vs. volatile anaesthesia on cardiac troponin release in coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass, we performed a multicentre randomized controlled study to compare postoperative cardiac troponin release in patients receiving two different anaesthesia plans.

We randomly assigned 75 patients to propofol (intravenous anaesthetic) and 75 patients to desflurane (volatile anaesthetic) in addition to an opiate-based anaesthesia for coronary artery bypass grafting. Peak postoperative troponin I release was measured as a marker of myocardial necrosis.

There was a significant (P < 0.001) difference in the postoperative median (25th–75th percentiles) peak of troponin I in patients receiving propofol 5,5 (2,3–9,5) ng dL−1 when compared to patients receiving desflurane 2,5 (1,1–5,3) ng dL−1. The median (interquartile) troponin I area under the curve analysis confirmed the results: 68 (30.5–104.8) vs. 36.3 (17.9–86.6) h ng dL−1 (P = 0.002). Patients receiving volatile anaesthetics had reduced need for postoperative inotropic support (24/75, 32.0% vs. 31/75, 41.3%, P = 0.04), and tends toward a reduction in number of Q-wave myocardial infarction, time on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and overall hospital stay.

Myocardial damage measured by cardiac troponin release could be reduced by volatile anaesthetics in coronary artery bypass surgery.