METABOLIC ASPECTS OF CARDIAC AND SKELETAL-MUSCLE TISSUES IN THE CONDITION OF HYPOXIA, ISCHEMIA AND REPERFUSION-INDUCED BY EXTRACORPOREAL-CIRCULATION

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) during aortopulmonary bypass surgery allows the investigation of the metabolic and biochemical effects of h ypoxia (skeletal muscle), ischaemia (cardiac muscle) and reperfusion ( skeletal and cardiac muscle) in homogeneous groups of patients. in thi s study we examined the mitochondrial enzymic response to oxidative st ress in 40 subjects, and analysis was carried out on heart and skeleta l-muscle biopsies taken before, during and after aortic clamping and 1 15 min of ECC. The results obtained constitute a clinical and biochemi cal picture characterized by some peculiar adaptive changes of enzymic activities which thus antagonize the oxidative damage due to acute hy poxia, ischaemia and reperfusion. Consequently it seems that this cell ular protective mechanism plays a crucial role in the reversibility of oxidative damage in hypoxic and ischaemic tissues.