Abstract
Olprinone, a novel cardiotonic agent, is a potent phosphodiesterase III inhibitor. However, the effects of this agent on the hepatosplanchnic circulation have not been well investigated. In the present study, we measured hepatic venous oxygen saturation (ShvO2) and examined the effects of olprinone on hepatosplanchnic oxygen dynamics in patients following cardiac surgery.
We examined eleven patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery in this study. A 7.5 Fr oximeter catheter was placed in the hepatic vein via the right femoral vein after the operation, and the study was performed after obtaining stable systemic hemodynamics in ICU. The patients were administered 0.3μg·kg-1·min-1 of olprinone for two hours. We did not change hemodynamic interventions throughout the study. Arterial and hepatic venous blood gas analysis and hemodynamic measurements using a pulmonary artery catheter were performed before and after the drug infusion. We calculated systemic oxygen delivery and consumption. The oxygen extraction ratio of systemic and blood flow was 26.4±18.8%, which was significantly greater than the change in cardiac index.
Our results could not be conclusive due to the lack of a control experiment, however they suggest that olprinone facilitates splanchnic blood flow and is beneficial for protecting splanchnic organs after cardiac surgery.
