Neutrophil function and cardiopulmonary bypass in humans. The effects of glucose and non-glucose containing bypass pump priming fluids

Abstract

Defective polymorphonuclear neutrophil function during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been implicated as a cause of postoperative infection following open-heart surgery. Neutrophil function is known to be impaired in poorly controlled diabetics with elevations of blood glucose concentrations of the order which occur frequently during CPB when glucose containing priming fluids are used. Neutrophil function, as measured by bactericidal assay, and neutrophil and whole blood luminol dependent chemiluminescence, was studied in two groups of 1 2 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Patients received either a glucose or non-glucose containing bypass pump-priming fluid. Postoperatively neutrophil luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was significantly increased in both groups (glucose prime groups p < 0.01, non-glucose prime group p < 0.01). Whole blood chemiluminescence was increased significantly intra and postoperatively in the glucose prime group ( p < 0.02, p < 0.02 respectively) but the increase was not significant in the non-glucose prime group. Bactericidal activity remained unchanged during and after surgery in both groups (mean bactericidal index intraoperatively 96.4 glucose group, 96.2 non-glucose group; postoperatively 99.7 glucose group, 99.7 non-glucose group). These data suggest that glucose containing bypass priming fluids do not modulate significantly the function of circulating neutrophils after CPB. Neutrophil function was not decreased after surgery, and other factors may be responsible for the reported higher incidence of bacterial infection after CPB.