Biochemical monitoring in patients during revascularization surgery

Changes in the metabolism of patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease were studied in the light of biochemical parameters during and after vascular reconstructive surgery (aorto-bifemoral bypass). Biochemical parameters were determined in arterial and regional venous blood in 10 successive intervals covering the period before ischemia, during acute ischemia and in the course of reperfusion of the lower extremity. After successful revascularization of the extremity, marked increases were recorded particularly in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and of lactate in the early and late period of reperfusion. Monitoring of the given biochemical parameters may yield an adequate criterion for determining the degree of ischemia-reperfusion injury in vascular reconstructive surgery and may also be of value in assessing the effectivity of the applied mode of protecting the patient against functional and metabolic injury.