Antiarrhythmic effect of sevoflurane as an additive to HTK solution on reperfusion arrhythmias induced by hypothermia and ischaemia is associated with the phosphorylation of connexin 43 at serine 368

Background Reperfusion ventricular arrhythmia (RA) associated with hypothermic ischaemic storage is increasingly recognized as a substantial contributor to adverse consequences after heart transplantation. Ischemia- or hypothermia-induced gap junction (GJ) remodelling is closely linked to RA. Reducing GJ remodelling contributes to RA attenuation and is important in heart transplantation. However, sevoflurane has an antiarrhythmic effect associated with the connexin 43 (Cx43) protein that has not yet been fully established.