Confronto fra erogazione di un flusso pulsatile vs continuo durante circolazione extracorporea in pazienti anziani sottoposti a intervento cardiochirurgico

The role of the UNIMI research unit was to evaluate the biomarkers of nitric oxide production and of oxidative stress in elderly patients enrolled by the Cardiovascular Surgery Section of the University of Verona (patients with isolated aortic valve stenosis and comparable comorbidities, operated by using either pulsatile or non-pulsatile systemic circulation during the conduction of the cardiopulmonary bypass established to performe the valve procedure). In particular, the main aim of the study was to establish any correlations between the parameters which are descriptors of the oxidative stress/nitrosative/carbonylic and the effect induced by the two different extracorporeal circulation modes (ECC pulsatile versus ECC non-pulsatile).

Overall, the results of the study (the data should, however, be increased by enrolling a larger number of patients), do not indicate a significant difference in the production of nitric oxide and in the indices of oxidative stress between the two EEC modes.