Altered activation of the L-arginine nitric oxide pathway during and after cardiopulmonary bypass

Abstract

The serum concentrations of nitrogen oxides, the stable metabolites of nitric oxide, were measured in 61 children during and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for surgery of congenital heart disease. Overall, there was a small reduction in serum nitrogen oxide concentrations during CPB, from a median of 27.5 (interquartile range 16.6-55.7) to 26.4 (15.3-40.6) μmol/l, followed by an increase in the following 24 h to 33.1 (21.3-46.7) μmol/l. The largest postoperative increases in nitrogen oxides occurred in children who developed renal impairment, or were treated with nitrovasodilators. There was no relationship between changes in serum nitrogen oxides intraoperatively and early changes in pu..