EFFECTS OF CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-GRAFTING ON GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MYOCARDIAL-FUNCTION - AN INTRAOPERATIVE ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT

The immediate effect of coronary artery bypass grafting on global and regional myocardial function was studied by means of epicardial two-dimensional echocardiography during operations in 20 patients. Echocardiograms were recorded before cardiopulmonary bypass and 5 and 30 minutes after bypass. Global left ventricular function was expressed as percent short-axis area change and regional function as percent fractional area change. Segments were classified according to their baseline function as normal (percent fractional area change > 40 %), moderately hypokinetic (percent fractional area change 21 % to 40 % ), or severely dysfunctional (percent fractional area change < 20 %). Percent short-axis area change was significantly reduced immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass (from 42.0 % +/- 4.6 % to 34.9 % +/- 3.0 %, p < 0.05) but had returned to baseline 30 minutes after bypass (42.6 % +/- 4.0 %). Similarly, function of normal and moderately hypokinetic segments decreased significantly immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass (normal segments: percent fractional area change 56 % +/- 0.9 % before bypass to 42.3 % +/- 1.5 % after bypass, p < 0.0001; moderately hypokinetic segments: 31.0 % +/- 0.9 % to 25.1 % +/- 1.4 %, p < 0.002). Both normal and moderately hypokinetic areas regained baseline function by 30 minutes after bypass (normal segments: 53.4 % +/- 1.6 %; moderately hypokinetic segments: 35.4 % +/- 2.0 %). In contrast, severely dysfunctional segments were found to be significantly improved immediately after bypass (14.7 % +/- 0.9 % before bypass to 27.7 % +/- 2.1 % after bypass, p < 0.0001). This improvement was maintained 30 minutes after bypass (22.8 % +/- 1.5 %, p < 0.001). We conclude that coronary revascularization exhibits an immediate beneficial effect on chronically underperfused myocardium having severely depressed baseline function. However, in normal and moderately hypokinetic areas, the depressant effects of global ischemia and reperfusion prevail in the immediate postbypass period, leading to a global depression of cardiac function.