Paediatric del Nido cardioplegia (DNC) has been tested in selected populations of low-risk adult patients. This study examined its use in an unselected medium-to-high-risk adult population and compared the results with a propensity-matched population that received intermittent warm blood cardioplegia (IWBC).

Data from the last 1,000 consecutive adult patients who underwent a variety of surgical procedures under cardioplegic arrest with the use of IWBC or DNC between 2016 and 2018 were propensity score matched on preoperative clinical and demographic variables. Two (2) main populations were 102 patients who received DNC and another set of matched 102 patients from a total of 1,000 patients who received IWBC, along with a subgroup with an ejection fraction (EF) ≤40% (EFDNC vs EFIWBC). Postoperative outcomes were mortality, peak troponin T, postoperative EF%, and aortic cross-clamp time.

There were no preoperative differences amongst the groups in the main cohort (Euroscore II: DNC 4.1±8, IWBC 4.0±7; EF%: DNC 47±10, IWBC 47±11) and in the subgroup (EF%: EFDNC 32±6%, EFIWBC 32±6%; p=0.45). There were also no differences in three of the outcomes. A significant postoperative improvement was noticed in the EF% in the DNC (32±6% 95% CI 29-34 to 39±12 95% CI 34-44; p=0.001) in the EFDNC group.

This initial experience of del Nido cardioplegia proved to be effective in a variety of challenging pathologies in adult populations.