3. How long can the heart muscle survive ischaemic conditions before it is irreversibly damaged? (At body temperature)
Correct answer: Between 3 and 6 minutes.
2. What happens to the body when the circulation is temporarily stopped at body temperature? Which tissues are the least tolerant to ischaemia?
Correct answer: If the circulation is temporarily stopped at normal body temperature, organs suffer ischaemic damage owing to lack of oxygen, the extent varying according to the metabolic demand of the organ. The brain is the most sensitive tissue in…
How important was the development of cardiopulmonary bypass? What type of operations on the heart were possible before this?
Correct answer: Prior to the development of cardiopulmonary bypass, surgery on the heart was limited to procedures that could be performed rapidly on a beating heart, such as mitral valvotomy to relieve mitral stenosis, where a finger is passed blindly…
