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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): John W. Hammon, Jr Jakob Vinten-Johansen Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hammon, J. W. Articles by Vinten-Johansen, J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hammon, J. W., Jr Articles by Vinten-Johansen, J. Related Collections Myocardial protection

Ann Thorac Surg 2003;75:S643
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Supplement: myocardial protection from surgical ischemic-reperfusion injury

Introduction

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Wintson-Salem, North Carolina, USA
^b Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The 3rd International Symposium on "Myocardial Protection From Surgical Ischemic-Reperfusion Injury" was held in Asheville, North Carolina, on June 2–6, 2002. Since the last symposium in 1997, the science of myocardial protection has dramatically changed in several areas. Awareness of the cell and molecular biology of myocardial injury and therapeutics has moved forward considerably. The areas of gene therapy and stem cell implantation as therapeutic strategies have progressed. In addition, new targets of injury and hence protection, such as the ATP sensitive potassium (K_ATP) channels have been more clearly delineated. The search continues for nondepolarizing alternatives to potassium-induced arrest. These changes have unfolded at a time when advancing technologies and the initial clinical success of off-pump surgery have challenged the necessity for and concepts of myocardial protection. The consensus drawn at this conference was that, indeed, myocardial protection will play a key role in improving the future clinical outcomes of cardiac surgery conducted in a patient population presenting with more severe cardiovascular diseases.

We have selected 16 of the presentations from the symposium to be included in a supplement to The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. The supplement is composed of three sections. The first section, entitled "Pathophysiology of Ischemic Reperfusion Injury," features articles describing basic cellular mechanisms related to ischemia-reperfusion injury. The second section, "Surgical Myocardial Protection," contains a number of articles related to newer methods for myocardial protection that offer promise to surgeons and cardiologists alike. The third section consists of Abstracts from the symposium, many of which are outstanding examples of current research in the field.

The symposium was an outstanding success, and we hope that the articles featured in this supplement will serve as a scientific and clinical core for understanding and developing practical solutions to the still vexing problem of myocardial ischemia.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): John W. Hammon, Jr Jakob Vinten-Johansen Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hammon, J. W. Articles by Vinten-Johansen, J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hammon, J. W., Jr Articles by Vinten-Johansen, J. Related Collections Myocardial protection