Del Nido cardioplegia versus other contemporary solutions for myocardial protection – a literature review

Myocardial protection is one of the most important factors ensuring patient safety during cardiac surgery with the application of cardiopulmonary bypass. Infusion of cardioplegic solution into the coronary circulation protects the heart and provides a standstill operating field for the surgeon. Cold blood cardioplegia and crystalloid cardioplegia are the two main types of solutions with a long history of use and a large amount of research proving their efficacy and safety. Relatively new del Nido cardioplegia seems to be an interesting alternative. We reviewed the literature comparing del Nido cardioplegia with two other types of cardioplegic solutions. We took into consideration many different clinical and biochemical aspects may indicate the quality of cardioprotection.