Inflammatory Response and Oxidative Stress Related to Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Majority of operations in cardiac surgery necessitate the applying of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) which is known to cause complex cascades of particularly unknown physiological processes. Activation of acute inflammatory response is the most important and versatile effect of CPB. Majority of therapeutic measures failed to improve clinical and even experimental outcomes. Better therapeutic strategies are based only on solid understanding of mechanisms involved in CPB-mediated inflammatory cascade.The aim of the thesis was to investigate clinical, pathophysiological and biochemical aspects of inflammatory response associated with CPB. In the present thesis it was aimed to compare the complications, adverse outcomes occur following coronary surgery with or without CPB. It has also been clarified that patients undergoing open-heart operation develop an extensive and prolonged pro-inflammatory response, which is not counterbalanced by anti-inflammatory mediators at later period aftersurgery. Dominancy of pro-inflammatory forces results in systematic oxidative injury, which together may blame for postoperative unwanted events, especially during the first weeks after surgery.