Proteção miocárdica ao coração hipertrofiado: o eterno desafio Myocardial protection to the hypertrophied heart: the eternal challenge

Abstract The myocardial protection allowed great advance in cardiac surgery, decreasing the mortality and making more feasible complex surgeries. Latterly the patient population elected for cardiac procedures has been changing towards elderly patients with ventricular function depressed and myocardial hypertrophy. The myocardial hypertrophy condition represents a great challenge since the beginning of the cardiac surgery. Several techniques have been described to protect the myocardial hypertrophy, however with no satisfactory results. In this manuscript we present the state of the art technique of myocardial protection. 98 CRESSONI, ES ET AL -Myocardial protection to the hypertrophied heart: the eternal challenge Bras Cir Cardiovasc 2008; 23(1): 97-107 Re