Comparison of the effects of histidine-triptophan-ketoglutarate solution and crystalloid cardioplegia on myocardial protection during pediatric cardiac surgery

The major components of myocardial protection during cardiac surgery are the combination of cardioplegia solutions with hypothermia. The primary endpoint of this study is to compare the effects of histidine-triptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution and crystalloid cardioplegia on release of cardiac troponin-I (cTn-I) and creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB), which are perioperative determinants of myocardial protection; the secondary endpoint is to evaluate the intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic variables and clinical outcome parameters.