Does retrograde crystalloid cardioplegia preserve left ventricular systolic function better than antegrade cardioplegia in patients with occluded coronary arteries?
Retrograde cardioplegia provides more homogenous myocardial cooling than antegrade cardioplegia in hearts with coronary artery occlusions. The use of retrograde cardioplegia seems to benefit long-term left ventricular function.
Our findings show that the plasma levels of MIP-1β, TNF-α and fractalkine reflect the levels of several pro-atherogenic cytokines in plaque tissue and might be possible plasma markers for a vulnerable atherosclerotic disease. We thereby propose that these cytokines can be used as surrogate markers for the identification of patients with high-risk plaques.