Performing cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and circulatory arrest (CA) provokes the development of complications caused by tissue metabolism, microcirculatory disorders, and endogenous nitric oxide (NO) deficiency. This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms for systemic organoprotective effects of exogenous NO during CPB and CA based on the assessment of dynamic changes in glycocalyx degradation markers, deformation properties of erythrocytes, and tissue metabolism in the experiment. A single-center prospective randomized controlled study was conducted on sheep, n = 24, comprising four groups of six in each. In two groups, NO was delivered at a dose of 80 ppm during CPB (“CPB + NO” group) or CPB and CA (“CPB + CA + NO”). In the “CPB” and “CPB + CA” groups, NO supply was not carried out. NO therapy prevented the deterioration of erythrocyte deformability. It was associated with improved tissue metabolism, lower lactate levels, and higher ATP levels in myocardial and lung tissues. The degree of glycocalyx degradation and endothelial dysfunction, assessed by the concentration of heparan sulfate proteoglycan and asymmetric dimethylarginine, did not change when exogenous NO was supplied. Intraoperative delivery of NO provides systemic organoprotection, which results in reducing the damaging effects of CPB on erythrocyte deformability and maintaining normal functioning of tissue metabolism.

Aim. To evaluate manifestations of systemic inflammatory response (SIR) and the effect of the colchicine therapy on SIR severity in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with extracorporeal circulation (EC). Material and methods. This study included 100 patients aged 62+6.3 years with stable IHD and multivessel coronary atherosclerosis scheduled for CABG with EC. Patients of group 1 (n=50) were administered with a single dose of colchicine (Colchicum-Dispert) 500 µg 4 hours before surgery followed by 500 µg twice a day for 10 days after surgery. Patients of group 2 (n=50) received a standard treatment, including nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs after surgery. Severity of the inflammatory response was evaluated by measuring blood cytokines. Results. In the postoperative period, patient of group 1 showed a tendency toward a lower incidence of pleurisy and heart rhythm disorders in the form of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) (p=0.18). Levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were significantly increased in both groups at 6 hours after surgery (p<0.05); at the same time, in group 1, IL-10 remained increased also at 10 days after surgery (р=0.0002). No significant time-related changes in the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β), were observed. At 3 days post-CABG, there were significant increases in tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloprotease 1 (TIMP-1) (р<0.0001) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) (р<0.001); at the same time, patients of group 1 had lower MMP-9 concentrations than patients of group 2 (p<0.05). At 10 days of postoperative period, these values were comparable with the background values. Increases in neopterin compared to preoperative values were found in both groups on days 3 and 10 after surgery (р <0.0001). Conclusion. CABG with EC is associated with the activation of SIR. The colchicine therapy at a dose of 500 µg 4 hours prior to surgery and 500 µg twice a day for 10 days after surgery reduces manifestations of SIR, which is clinically evident as a tendency to reduced incidence of pleurisy and arrhythmias, and does not result in the development of serious complications. The dynamics of matrix metalloproteinases indicates that the colchicine treatment is promising for decreasing the risk of CHF progression and myocardial remodeling in patients with IHD.

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) affecting between 5% and 40% of patients, which leads to hemodynamic instability, an increased risk of thromboembolism, decompensated heart failure, prolonged hospitalization, and higher treatment costs. Currently, there are no universally accepted guidelines for preventing POAF. Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial, “The Effect of Colchicine on the Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation after Cardiac Surgery” (CAFE), ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06798714, was conducted. The study included 140 patients with coronary artery disease randomized into two groups of 70 patients each. Group 1 (control group) received standard postoperative care. Group 2 (intervention group) received colchicine (Colchicum-Dispert at a dose of 500 mcg 4 h before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with CPB and at a dose of 500 mcg twice daily for 10 days postoperatively) and underwent intraoperative pericardial fenestration using an original technique. Results: Perioperative colchicine administration combined with intraoperative pericardial fenestration reduced POAF incidence to 2.9% compared to the control group with POAF incidence of 12.9% (p < 0.05). This management strategy was not associated with an increased incidence of infectious complications, gastrointestinal disorders, or elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, or creatinine. Conclusions: Perioperative colchicine administration combined with pericardial fenestration during CABG with CPB is associated with a reduced POAF incidence, good tolerability, and does not contribute to an increased incidence of infectious complications or impaired liver and renal function.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and its delayed diagnosis often lead to an increase in the number of patients with chronic kidney disease. There is no denying the importance of studying the pathogenetic mechanisms of AKI, timely predictive identification of patients at high risk of CSA-AKI, as well as the need to search for and improve perioperative strategies to prevent CSA-AKI. The development of new approaches regarding predictive diagnostics of AKI and their widespread introduction into a wide clinical practice will improve the prognosis and survival of these patients.The modern diagnostic continuum of AKI considers risk factors as pre-existing conditions against which adverse factors of the perioperative period are realised. Risk factors for AKI in cardiac surgery are divided into two categories: 1) patient-dependent and 2) operations-associated or modifiable risk factors for the development of AKI, to some extent secondary to iatrogenic effects (adverse factors of the perioperative period). A clear understanding of the significance of these factors regarding the development of AKI in cardiac surgery patients allows us to form risk scales for predicting CSA-AKI in the postoperative period. This review presents the following work, which is a milestone for the predictive diagnosis of AKI in cardiac surgery: model Association of Nephrology and the Association of Anaesthesiologists and Reanimatologists of Russia, the scale EuroSCORE II, the STS Score, Score Mehta, ‘risk index perioperative renal dysfunction/failure’, S. Aronson et al., scale S.Y. Ng et al., model K. Birnie et al.The use of predictive models for the predictive diagnosis of CSA-AKI is an important strategy for identifying high-risk patients. This approach allows active application of preventive strategies regarding AKI in routine clinical practice. It also has distinct advantages regarding conducting cohort clinical studies of new renoprotective technologies. To date, there is no ‘gold standard’ scale for predicting the risk of cardiac AKI. The authors propose consideration of their application as a weighted ‘Solomon’ solution, according to a specific clinical situation.Received 10 July 2020. Revised 9 September 2020. Accepted 10 September 2020.Funding: The study did not have sponsorship.Conflict of interest: Authors declare no conflict of interest.Author contributionsConception and design: N.O. Kamenshchikov, Yu.K. Podoksenov, M.L. DiakovaDrafting the article: N.O. Kamenshchikov, M.L. Diakova, A.M. BoykoCritical revision of the article: M.L. Diakova, Yu.K. PodoksenovFinal approval of the version to be published: N.O. Kamenshchikov, Yu.K. Podoksenov, M.L. Diakova, A.M. Boyko, B.N. Kozlov

Surgical intervention on an ‘open’ heart during cardio-pulmonary bypass is the method of choice for patients with valvular defects, complicated forms of coronary heart disease and combined pathology. The level of perioperative mortality in these interventions range from 2 % to 10 %. Acute kidney injury associated with cardiac surgery is a common and serious complication which dramatically worsens operative prognoses and results. According to several major studies, the incidence of acute renal injury in cardiac surgery is comparable with the incidence of myocardial infarction, with corresponding unsatisfactory outcomes.The introduction of the term ‘acute kidney injury’ into clinical practise, replacing the concept of acute renal failure, occurred relatively recently. This facilitated a universal definition for this condition, and unified the criteria for diagnosis and stratification of acute renal dysfunction severity. The article defines acute kidney injury using RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO criteria. Acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery dramatically worsens short-term results and long-term outcomes, and thus increases the economic cost of treating patients. According to some reports, in industrialised countries, the health costs associated with acute kidney injury are estimated at $ 1 billion. Acute kidney injury is associated with approximately 300,000 deaths per annum, as well as approximately 300,000 new cases of chronic kidney disease. Cumulative expenses associated with acute renal injury in cardiac surgery are not directly limited to the hospitalisation period, but are often prolonged and/or deferred. These patients require additional financial expenses after discharge from hospital, which once again exemplifies this problem in cardiac surgery.Manifest acute kidney injury in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery leads to an increased number of extrarenal complications, reduced short-and long-term survival rates, increased economic costs in hospitals and prolonged treatment effects in the long-term. The introduction of a single definition of cardiac acute renal injury according to KDIGO criteria into clinical practise will identify patient groups with a high risk of developing this pathology. Similarly, it will also facilitate timely measures to prevent the development of complications in postoperative periods, which will reduce the risk of complications in cardiac patients.Received 10 July 2020. Revised 2 September 2020. Accepted 9 September 2020.Funding: The study did not have sponsorship.Conflict of interest: Authors declare no conflict of interest.Author contributionsConception and design: N.O. Kamenshchikov, Y.K. Podoksenov, M.L. DiakovaData collection and analysis: N.O. Kamenshchikov, A.M. Boyko, M.L. DiakovaDrafting the article: N.O. Kamenshchikov, M.L. Diakova, A.M. BoykoCritical revision of the article: M.L. Diakova, Y.K. PodoksenovFinal approval of the version to be published: N.O. Kamenshchikov, Y.K. Podoksenov, M.L. Diakova, A.M. Boyko, B.N. Kozlov

The article describes a clinical case of inhalation therapy with high doses of nitric oxide (NO) in a comorbid patient with a severe course of COVID-19. An air stream containing NO was generated using the PLAZON device. High-dose NO inhalation therapy was administered as a life-saving option due to the lack of effect from treatment delivered in accordance with the current national clinical guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19. The safety and clinical efficacy of the technique was demonstrated.