BIOCHEMICAL MONITORING IN PATIENTS DURING REVASCULERIZATION SURGERY

Changes in the metabolism of patients with peripheral arterial occlusi ve disease were studied in the light of biochemical parameters during and after vascular reconstructive surgery (aorto-bifemoral bypass). Bi ochemical parameters were determined in arterial and regional venous b lood in 10 succesive intervals covering the period before ischemia, du ring acute ischemia and in the course of reperfusion of the lower extr emity. After successful revascularization of the extremity, marked inc reases were recorded particularly in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and of lactate in the early and late period of re perfusion. Monitoring of the given biochemical parameters may yield an adequate criterion for determining the degree of ischemia-reperfusion injury in vascular reconstructive surgery and may also be of value in assessing the effectivity of the applied mode of protecting the patie nt against functional and metabolic injury.