Effect of timing and route of methylprednisolone administration during pediatric cardiac surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND

We compared the antiinflammatory and cardioprotective effects of the two most common regimens of corticosteroid administration in pediatric cardiac surgical procedures: a single dose delivered either at anesthesia induction or by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) prime.

METHODS

Forty-five children, aged between 1 and 18 months and undergoing ventricular septal or atrioventricular septal defect correction, were randomized in double-blind fashion into three groups. The anesthesia induction group received 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone intravenously after anesthesia induction, and the CPB-prime group received 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone by CPB circuit. The placebo group received saline solution. Plasma concentrations of methylprednisolone, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and IL-10, and troponin were measured at anesthesia induction before the study drug, 30 minutes on CPB, after patients were weaned from CPB, and 6 hours after cessation of CPB.

RESULTS

Equally high methylprednisolone concentrations were detected in both methylprednisolone groups, but the measured peak concentration occurred earlier in the induction group. Significantly lower IL-8 concentrations were observed just after patients were weaned from and 6 hours after CPB in the anesthesia induction group compared with the placebo (p = 0.002, p = 0.001) and prime groups (p = 0.003, p = 0.006). Significant reductions of troponin were detected in both methylprednisolone groups compared with placebo (induction, p = 0.001; prime, p = 0.002) 6 hours after patients were weaned from CPB.

CONCLUSIONS

Methylprednisolone administration at anesthesia induction was superior in terms of antiinflammatory action. Methylprednisolone administration in CPB-prime only a few minutes before aortic cross-clamping and cardioplegia resulted in mean troponin reductions similar to those of administration at anesthesia induction. Corticosteroids may have direct cardioprotective properties, as reported in experimental studies.