Reduced inotropic support after aprotinin therapy during pediatric cardiac operations

Background. Several reports indicate that aprotinin treatment before and during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) might have a protective effect on the myocardium. We evaluated the hemodynamic effects of perioperative aprotinin treatment. Methods. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 34 infants (mean age, 2.5 years) who had cardiac operations. Half of the patients received high-dose aprotinin therapy. There were no significant differences between the aprotinin and placebo groups with respect to age, weight, sex, aortic cross-clamp time, and CPB time. The following data were recorded at arrival in the intensive care unit 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after termination of CPB: heart rate, blood pressure, left atrial pressure, central-peripheral temperature difference, arterial-central venous oxygen saturation difference, urine output serum creatinine, lactate and neutrophil elastase levels, the Doppler echocardiographic factors shortening fraction and preejection period/left-ventricular ejection time, and cumulative doses of catecholamines (epinephrine), enoximone, and furosemide. Results. No hemodynamic variable showed any significant difference between aprotinin and placebo groups. Urine output, creatinine, lactate, and elastase levels, as well as the cumulative doses of furosemide and epinephrine were not significantly different. Twelve hours after CPB 10 patients in the placebo group and 4 in the aprotinin group had received enoximone (p < 0.05). The placebo group had received significantly larger doses of enoximone than the aprotinin group at arrival in the intensive care unit (0.13 +/- 0.05 versus 0 mg/kg), 12 hours after CPB (0.58 +/- 0.14 versus 0.18 +/- 0.09 mg/kg), 24 hours after CPB (1.11 +/- 0.24 versus 0.42 +/- 0.16 mg/kg), and 48 hours after CPB (1.61 +/- 0.40 versus 0.86 +/- 0.28). At 6 hours the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions. Clinical and hemodynamic status of the aprotinin-treated patients was similar to that of the placebo-treated patients in the first 48 hours after CPB. The placebo group, however, required significantly more inotropic support by enoximone than the aprotinin group to achieve this goal. (C) 1999 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.