Drug may thwart heart-lung complication

sCR1 awaits phase 1 trials

It will be a long time before it’s available, but there’s a new drug in the works that may be the answer to complement activation risks posed by heart-lung machines. The inflammatory response can result in postoperative complications that prolong hospital stays, increase expenses, and impair recovery the very factors that minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting is being shown to prevent.

When a patient undergoes a non-beating open-heart procedure, his circulation is supported by cardiopulmonary bypass, and that raises his risk of complement activation. Soluble complement receptor type 1 (sCR1) is awaiting phase one clinical trials.