Equivalence of the acute cytokine surge and myocardial injury after coronary artery bypass grafting with and without a novel extracorporeal circulation system.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) contributes to a morbidity-inducing systemic inflammatory response after cardiac surgery. We compared this response in patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with (CPB group; n = 7) or without (off-pump group; n = 8) the Minimal Extracorporeal Circulation (MECC) system. Serum concentrations of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, soluble TNF receptors, pro- and anti-inflammatory interleukins (ILs) and other myocardial injury markers were measured after anaesthetic induction, at 1 h, 4 h and 24 h after completing all anastomoses or serially. Soluble TNF receptor type I (sTNFRI) and IL-8 peaked early after CABG in both groups and did not decline. Serum sTNFRI was significantly higher in the CPB compared with the off-pump group at 1 h, whereas IL-8 was significantly lower in the CPB group throughout. The MECC system, therefore, produces an equivalent acute cytokine response and degree of myocardial injury to off-pump CABG, and may be useful when CABG cannot be performed without CPB.