Sevoflurane preserves the endothelial glycocalyx against ischaemia-reperfusion injury.
BACKGROUND: Healthy vascular endothelium is coated by the glycocalyx, important in multiple endothelial functions, but destroyed by ischaemia-reperfusion. The impact of volatile anaesthetics on this fragile structure has not been investigated. We evaluated the effect of cardiac pre- and post-conditioning with sevoflurane on integrity of the endothelial glycocalyx in conjunction with coronary vascular function.
METHODS: Isolated gui