[Femoral to radial artery pressure gradient in the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass].

Femoral to radial artery pressure gradient was evaluated in 14 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). CPB was instituted at a flow rate of 2.6 l.min-1.m-2, using non-pulsatile pump and blood temperature of pump arterial line was controlled to maintain bladder temperature between 36 and 37 degrees C. Pressure gradients occurred 30 min after commencement of CPB and the mean gradients of systolic, diastolic and mean artery pressure were maximum all at the end of CPB (38 +/- 7 mmHg, 4 +/- 1 mmHg and 10 +/- 2 mmHg). These pressure gradients remained until the end of the surgery. Throughout the operation, nasopharyngeal and blood temperature remained unchanged, while mean palm temperature increased from 31.8 degrees C (after induction) to 34.6 degrees C (30 min after commencement of CPB) and thereafter remained between 33.3 and 33.9 degrees C. This increase in peripheral temperature might indicate that normothermic CPB was accompanied by peripheral vasodilatation. These results indicate that the magnitude of femoral to radial pressure gradient during normothermic CPB is similar to that during mild hypothermic CPB.