Background: Myocardial protection is a critical concern during aortic valve replacement. Custodiol cardioplegia and cold blood cardioplegia represent two primary strategies for myocardial preservation. This study sought to compare Custodiol and blood cardioplegia results for myocardial protection in aortic valve replacement.
Methods: This prospective study included 200 patients who were evenly divided into two groups based on the cardioplegia solution used: the Custodiol group (Group A) and the cold blood cardioplegia group (Group B). The study evaluated postoperative mechanical ventilation duration, ICU and overall hospital stay lengths, and echocardiographic findings at three and six months postoperatively.
Results: Compared with Group B, Group A had significantly shorter ventilation times (min-max: 6-9 vs. 9-15 hours), ICU stays (3-3 vs. 4-5 days), and hospital stays (7-9 vs. 10-20 days) (p