Phase III Study Comparing Two Methods of Cardioplegia in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Inclusion Criteria

• •The study population will be selected from patients of either sex with coronary artery disease (CAD) who are to undergo cardiopulmonary bypass for coronary artery bypass surgery.
• •1. Patients \>/=35 and \</=80 years of age
• •2. Male or female with 2 or 3 vessel coronary disease, who are scheduled for elective CBP surgery for coronary revascularisation
• •3. Presence of definite CAD for which surgical intervention is deemed necessary, without evidence of ongoing infarction.
• •Patients with unstable angina can be included as long as there is no objective (negative cardiac isoenzymes in the immediate six hours preceding CABG, current intravenous use of nitrate therapy) or subjective (absence of prolonged symptoms suggestive of coronary insufficiency that do not respond to pharmacologic intervention) evidence of myocardial necrosis.
• •4. Eligibility for Swan-Ganz-Catheter
• •5. Able to understand character and individual consequences of the clinical trial and to provide written informed consent to participate in the study
• •6. No evidence of severe organic or psychiatric disease by history or physical examination
• •7. No history of alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, significant mental illness, physical dependence to any opioid, or no any history of drug abuse or addiction within 12 months of study enrollment.