Feasibility and safety of delivering xenon to patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: phase II pilot study

Patients undergoing a major cardiac procedure are at great risk to develop postoperative delirium. Delirium is an extremely costly disorder, both to the patient in terms of morbidity and mortality and to the medical facility. Xenon is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and exhibits considerable protective effects in in vitro and in vivo models of neuronal injury. In recent multi-centre trials, xenon has proven to be a safe anaesthetic agent with good haemodynamic stability. The novel aspect of this project and working hypothesis is that xenon reduces the incidence of delirium in patients undergoing isolated or combined coronary artery bypass grafting.

The aim of this grant application is divided into two aspects. First, a pilot study assessing the feasibility and safety of delivering xenon to patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery will be carried out. Second, on the basis of the pilot study, a grant application for a multi-centre randomized clinical trial will be submitted to the DFG-BMBF.

The aim of this project multifocal:

1. To find out, if dexmedetomidine is neuroprotective in a model of traumatic brain injury.
2. To establish a dose-response relationship.
3. To see, if dexmedetomidine is neuroprotective, when applied with a delay of several hours.

Antragsteller:

Priv. Doz. Dr. med. Mark Coburn