The need for competent surgeons to provide high-quality surgical interventions is
crucial. The challenge of worsening the outcome has a great negative impact on the
rate of training, especially in complex or long-duration procedures. Custodiol
cardioplegia is an attractive solution for many cardiac surgeons, as a single
dose provides a long period of myocardial protection.
Aims
We aimed to evaluate the benefit of custodiol cardioplegia in comparison with the
conventional one in supporting training programs.
Settings and design
A retrospective study was conducted in the period from March 2016 to January
2021. The study included 240 adult patients who underwent open-heart surgeries
and required cardioplegia and cardiopulmonary bypass.
Patients and methods
Patients were divided into two groups: group A (120 patients) received conventional
cardioplegia. Group B (120 patients) received custodial cardioplegia.
Statistical analysis used
The patient’s data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS), version 21 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Comparison
between groups was done by χ2 test. Quantitative data were presented as mean
±SD. Qualitative data were presented as numbers and percentages. Student t test
and χ2 test were used to compare between two groups. A P value less than 0.05 was
considered statistically significant.
Results
The preoperative patient characteristics were comparable among both groups
regarding the demographic data, the comorbidities, and cardiac parameters.
There was a significant difference between both groups in cross-clamp (133.35
vs. 124.81 min) and total bypass (162.41 vs. 154.7 min) times (P