Artificial blood as a way to treat acute myocardial infarction

Introduction

Artificial blood--perfluorochemical emulsion Perftoran is a way to improve oxygenation of the heart during periods of hypoxia and ischemia. This study was performed to determine the efficacy of an intravenous infusion of Perftoran for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods

Forty patients, males not older then 60 with first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were observed, 20 to receive Perftoran in the first 6 h of AMI (1st group) and 20 to receive no Perftoran (2nd group), along with 20 mg of intravenous nitroglycerin given over 8 h. Minimal effective dosage of Perftoran 4–5 ml/kg intravenous was used, infusion rate was 20–40 drops per minute. We investigated composite clinical outcomes, ECG changes, infarct size, creatine kinase activity, hemodynamic parameters, acid-base status, blood gases, oxygen supply and consumption.

Results

On the first and following days of AMI the repeated episodes of chest pain were observed in 81% cases in the second group and in 57% cases in the first group (P < 0.001). The patients of the first group also had positive ECG changes on the second day of the AMI: Development of terminal T-wave inversion, ST-segment normalization and 2 patients had Q-wave reduction. In Perftoran-treated patients non-damaged volume of left ventricle (in % from the first damage) was 25.06 ± 5.40 (P < 0.05) compared with traditional-treated parients, 6.60 ± 2.31%. By the 3rd-5th days of AMI in the first group there was observed an increase of arterial-venous O₂ content difference, O₂ delivery and 2 and more times than in the 2nd group.

Conclusions

The use of Perftoran in patients with AMI performs a positive effect on clinical characteristics of AMI, leads to reduce infarct size and decrease of ischemia in affected area.