Conduction disturbances after blood and crystalloid cardioplegia in coronary bypass surgery.

Postoperative conduction disturbances after coronary artery bypass grafting were analyzed in 100 patients who randomly received either blood or crystalloid cardioplegia. Conduction disturbances, mostly transient, developed after termination of cardiopulmonary bypass in 30 of the 100 patients--15 in either group. Ischaemia appeared to be a major determinant for conduction disturbances. Previous inferior myocardial infarction and stenosis of the right coronary artery both exposed the patient to risk of right bundle branch block.