Comparison of haemodynamics and myocardial injury markers under desflurane vs. propofol anaesthesia for off-pump coronary surgery. A prospective randomised trial.

Background: Several studies have highlighted that volatile anaesthetics improve myocardial protection in cardiopulmonary bypass coronary surgery. However, the haemodynamic effect of desflurane in off-pump coronary surgery has not been clarified yet. Our study hypothesis was that desflurane-fentanyl anaesthesia could decrease myocardial injury markers and improve haemodynamics compared to propofol-fentanyl in patients undergoing off-pump coronary surgery.

Clinical importance of anaesthetic preconditioning.

Myocardial infarction represents one of the most serious perioperative complications. Reducing the risk of perioperative myocardial infarction is one of the most important priorities of anesthetic treatment. Discovery of cardioprotective effects of volatile anesthetics exerted strong impact on everyday anesthetic practice, particularly in cardiac-surgical setting.