Single Dose Cold Blood Cardioplegia in Adult Patients: rationale and technique description

Different cardioplegia techniques and strategies have demonstrated to be safe and useful in cardiac surgery. After having employed a series of strategies and according to results published by others and us, ease of use and hospital costs we devised a single dose blood cold cardioplegia strategy. Based on observations and the rationale for the use of blood, crystalloid, cold and warm cardioplegia, we have modified a blood-based cardioplegia to be delivered in a hypothermic single dose strategy with a minimum addition of substrates using each patient´s own blood which results in a simple, low cost technique.