Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response to CPB in paediatric patients undergoing surgical correction of congenital heart diseases.
Experimental design: comparative investigation.
Setting: paediatric cardiology hospital
Intervention: ICAM-1, IL-8, and IL-6 production were analysed before and during CPB, and after surgery in 9 paediatric patients, submitted to cardiocirculatory arrest (Group A); and in 11 without cardiocirculatory arrest (Group B).
Measures: ICAM-1, IL-8, and IL-6 production were analysed from arterial samples before and during CPB, and after surgery.
Results: In group A vs group B a significant increase of IL-8 was detected during (297+/-250 vs 11+/-19 pg x ml(-1), p<0.001) and after (100+/-230 vs n.d. pg x ml(-1)) surgery and was correlated with the duration of operation (r=0.759; p=0.0001) and clamping time (r=0.738; p<0.05). After surgery in group A, IL-6 levels (35+/-43 pg x ml) were higher than those in group B (2+/-5 pg x ml), and a good correlation was observed between IL-6 and duration of aortic clamping (r=0.714; p=0.048), cardiac arrest, (r=0.714; p=0.048), and length of surgery (r=0.867; p=0.04).
Conclusions: In children who underwent CPB with cardiocirculatory arrest cytokine production seems related to duration of operation and amplified by ischemia-reperfusion phenomena.