Effects of intraoperative diltiazem infusion on flow changes in arterial and venous grafts in coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Objective

This study aimed to show the effects of intra-operative diltiazem infusion onflow in arterial and venous grafts in coronary artery bypass graftsurgery.

Methods

Hundred fourty patients with a total of 361 grafts [205 (57%) arterial and156 (43%) venous] underwent isolated coronary surgery. All the grafts weremeasured by intraoperative transit time flow meter intra-operatively. GroupA (n=70) consisted of patients who received diltiazem infusion (dose of 2.5microgram/kg/min), and Group B (n=70) didn''t receive diltiazem infusion.

Results

Mean graft flow values of left internal mammary artery were 53 ml/min inGroup A and 40 ml/min in Group B (P<0.001). Pulsatilityindex (PI) values of left internal mammary artery for Group A and Group Bwere 2.6 and 3.0 respectively (P<0.001). Nostatistically significant difference was found between venous graftparameters.

Conclusion

We recommend an effect of diltiazem infusion in increasing graft flows incoronary artery bypass graft operations.