Perfluorochemical Reperfusion Limits Myocardial Reperfusion Injury After Prolonged Hypothermic Global Ischemia

The ability of an oxygenated perfluorochemical (Fluosol®) to limit myocardial reperfusion injury following global hypothermia ischemic insult was investigated. Neonatal piglet hearts were arrested with cold crystalloid cardioplegia and stored for 12 hours in 2° C saline. Reperfusion was carried out using an isolated, blood-perfused, working heart preparation. Hearts were initially reperfused (10 minutes) with either whole blood (WB, n=6), unmodified perfluorochemical (PFC, n=8), or aspartate/glutamate-enriched perfluorochemical cardioplegia (PFC+, n=6), prior to institution of whole blood perfusion, functional evaluation and left ventricular biopsy. A control group (C, n=7) was evaluated without an intervening period of ischemia. At a left ventricular diastolic pressure of 9 mm Hg WB hearts developed a left-ventricular stroke work index (SWI) of 3.8±2.3 × 103 erg/g (mean±standard error of the mean). Under similar conditions, PFC-reperfused hearts achieved a SWI of 14.6±1.3 × 103, significantly greater tha...