Improved Tissue Maintenance
The invention provides a method of reducing damage to a tissue, organ or cell from surgical procedures comprising administering a composition comprising a potassium channel opener/agonist and/or an adenosine receptor agonist (eg. adenosine) together with a local anaesthetic (eg. lignocaine) when perfusing the organ.
1 . A method of reducing damage to a tissue, organ or cell from periods of reduced activity comprising administering a composition comprising:
a potassium channel opener/agonist and/or an adenosine receptor agonist, together with
a local anaesthetic.
2 . A method according to claim 1 in which the composition further includes magnesium cations.
3 . A method according to claim 1 in which the composition is heated to at least 32° C. before administration.
4 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the composition is administered when reperfusing the organ.
5 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the reduced activity is medically induced.
6 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the composition is administered while perfusing the organ during a quiescent state.
7 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the organ is a heart and the reduced activity is cardioplegic arrest.
8 . A method of reducing post-operative fibrillation following a heart procedure comprising administering a composition comprising:
a potassium channel opener/agonist and/or an adenosine receptor agonist, together with
a local anaesthetic.
9 . A method according to claim 8 wherein the composition is administered during the recovery phase of the procedure.
10 . A composition for reducing the risk or incidence of post-operative complications from surgical procedures comprising a potassium channel opener/agonist and/or an adenosine receptor agonist together with a local anaesthetic and magnesium cations.
11 . A composition according to claim 10 having a potassium concentration of less than about 10 mM.