EFFECT OF METHYLPREDNISOLONE ON INTERLEUKINS DURING OPEN HEART SURGERY

Abstract

Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is proved to affect many body systems and organs. Tissue and organ damage is a common complication that occurs is relation to cardiac surgery. The body also, reacts to this type of surgery, and this reaction is charctarized by release of many mediators that are known to have a role in the postoperative morbitity. IL-6 and IL-8 are known to be released significantly in association with cardiac surgery.

In this work we aimed to study cytokine profile especially levels of proinflammatory members (IL-6 and IL-8), and to determine whether methylprednisolone, as a potent member of corticosteroids, is able to suppress the release of these cytokines and improve the postoperative course of surgery with the postoperative changes in cardiac index and shunt fraction.

Our study included twinty two patients, their average age mean was (21.0 2.35) ys, and their average mean of body weight was (57.50 1.60) kg, and subjected to open heart surgery for single valve replacement, 12 of them were given methylprednisolone two times during surgery, before starting bypass and 30 min before aortic declamping in 30 mg/kg/dose, while the remaining 10 patients served as controls. All patients were statistically comperable as regards the demographic data and the type of surgery done. Patients with ejection fraction less than 0.5% were excluded from our study. Other exclusion criteria included, those using concomitant corticosteroids, sever haemodynamic disturbances as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, liver failure or severe renal impairment.