Cardioplegic solutions

Cardioplegia is intentional and temporary cessation of cardiac activity, primarily for cardiac surgery. Cardioplegia is intentional and temporary cessation of cardiac activity, primarily for cardiac surgery. The word cardioplegia combines the Greek cardio meaning the 'heart', and plegia 'paralysis'. Technically, this means arresting or stopping the heart so that surgical procedures can be done in a still and bloodless field. Most commonly, however, the word cardioplegia refers to the solution used to bring about asystole of the heart, or heart paralysis. One of the first physicians to use the term cardioplegia was Dr. Lam in 1957. However his work on the myocardial protection was preceded serendipitously by Sydney Ringer in the late 1800s. At that time Ringer and colleagues noticed that tap water had the ability to increase contractility of the heart, likely due its high calcium content. Sydney Ringer also commented on the importance of potassium ion concentration on depressing intrinsic heart rhythm. Through a series of experiments performed on frog and canine hearts, reversible arrest was achieved with potassium ions with the consequence of ventricular fibrillation and observed myocardial necrosis. These early experiments started nearly 50 years of work that has led to variety of perfusion strategies available today.