Effect of Simvastatin on Cardiac Function

Overview

It is well know that statins have been used to low cholesterol to prevent and treat coronary artery disease for many years. It was also reported that statins could protect endothelial function and cardiac function during coronary artery bypass graft. However, some results were controversial. Also, there is no clinical data available on statin cardiac protection during surgery in China where rheumatic heart disease is prevalent. Thus, the investigators are trying to see whether statins can protect heart injury during cardiac surgery in Chinese. Part of patients will receive statin treatment and part of will not before surgery in the study. Both patients' heart function will be measured and compared after surgery to determine whether statins can protect heart injury during heart surgery.

Cardiac function is crucial for cardiac surgery. The mortality remains very high in patients with poor cardiac function preoperation, long surgical time, complicate or difficult surgical procedure or uncompleted corrected malformation currently. Thus, it is necessary to search other approaches to improve cardiac function for cardiac surgery patients in order to increase the success, decrease complication and mortality in cardiac surgery. Although statin has been used to low cholesterol to prevent and treat coronary artery disease for many years, it has been reported that statin could protect endothelial function and cardiac function in coronary artery bypass graft. However, some results were controversy. Also, there is no clinical data available on statin cardiac protection during surgery in China where rheumatic heart disease is prevalence.Thus, it is necessary to perform a double blind, randomised clinical trial in China to determine whether statin can protect heart injury during heart surgery in China and what's its mechanism.