Tehran University of Medical Sciences The Research in Heart Yield and Translational Medicine (RHYTHM) 3115-7270 14 4 2019 10 19 177 182 EN Mohammad Bagher Khosravi Department of Anesthesia, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Mahdi Kahrom Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Mahdi Tahari Division of Cardiac Perfusion, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Kambiz Alizadeh Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Ghasem Soltani Department of Anesthesia, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Mohammad Ali Ghanad Department of Anesthesia, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 2018 02 20 2019 07 23 Background: Ischemic postconditioning is a novel strategy for attaining cardioprotection. Remarkable evidence from various in vitro and in vivo animal and human studies have shown significant opioid-induced cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The purpose of this study was to assess the cardioprotective effect of sufentanil against I/R injury after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: Between June 2016 and July 2017, 80 consecutive patients with triple-vessel disease undergoing on-pump CABG were enrolled in this prospective randomized study. The patients assigned to the sufentanil group received a single dose of sufentanil (0.2 μg/kg diluted with 50 cc of saline) 5 minutes before the removal of the aorta cross-clamp, with the sufentanil injected via a cardioplegia needle into the aortic root. In the control group, the same volume of normal saline was injected as a placebo. Cardiac enzymes, the inotrope score, and the outcome data were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.48±7.50 years (range=41–69 y), and men comprised 65.0% of the study population. The levels of CK-MB and cardiac troponin I were significantly lower in the sufentanil group (P<0.001). The amount of inotrope use (P<0.001), the incidence of atrial fibrillation (P=0.014), electrical shock (P=0.007), and the mechanical ventilation time (P<0.001) decreased in the sufentanil group compared with the control group. However, the use of intra-aortic balloon pumps (P=0.247) and the ICU length of stay (P=0.867) were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Conclusion: The injection of a single dose of sufentanil into the aortic root prior to aorta cross-clamp removal diminished cardiac injury during on-pump CABG in our patients. https://rhythm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jthc/article/view/847 https://rhythm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jthc/article/download/847/871