The dynamic change of plasma endothelin-1 during the perioperative period in patients with rheumatic valvular disease and secondary pulmonary hypertension.

The arterial plasma endothelin-1 concentration was substantially more elevated in 15 patients with rheumatic valvular disease and secondary pulmonary hypertension than in healthy volunteers (3.66 +/- 2.20 versus 1.17 +/- 0.38 pg/ml, mean +/- standard deviation; p < 0.01). The preoperative plasma endothelin-1 level was highly correlated with the pulmonary hemodynamics: pulmonary artery systolic pressure (r = 0.94, p < 0.001), pulmonary artery mean pressure (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), and pulmonary vascular resistance (r = 0.63, p < 0.02). After valve replacement, the plasma endothelin-1 concentration declined substantially and the pulmonary hemodynamics improved markedly. Two weeks after the operation, the plasma endothelin-1 level in patients (1.26 +/- 0.45 pg/ml, mean +/- standard deviation) was not statistically different from that in the healthy volunteers. The plasma endothelin-1 concentration continuously increased during the course of cardiopulmonary bypass and peaked after cessation of bypass. The peak plasma endothelin-1 level (13.49 +/- 4.60 pg/ml, mean +/- standard deviation) positively correlated with the bypass time (r = 0.64, p < 0.02) and negatively correlated with the urine volume during bypass (r = -0.69, p < 0.01). We conclude that (1) increased plasma endothelin-1 might be implicated in the pathogenesis of secondary pulmonary hypertension caused by rheumatic valvular disease and (2) markedly elevated plasma endothelin-1 concentrations might be associated with the mechanism of cardiac or renal dysfunction after prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass.