Is Lignocaine Preconditioning Effective to Treat Severe Pulmonary Vasoconstriction Induced by Protamine During Cardiac Surgery?

1. Abstract

Protamine is a low molecular weight protein fraction (5.5-13.0 kDa) that is rich in basic arginine (67%) and lysine amino acids. They are basic polypeptides that neutralize the strongly negatively charged heparin. This study was aimed to explore the effect of lignocaine preconditioning on protamine-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction, which is used to reverse the effect of heparin during cardiac surgery. This was a prospective, single-center, double- blind and randomized study performed among eighty pediatric patients of either sex in the age group between 1 to 12 years with a cyanotic congenital heart disease, scheduled for elective on-pump cardiac surgery under general Anaesthesia.