Table 2.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria for patient enrollment were used for both the experimental and control groups.
| Inclusion | Exclusion |
|---|---|
| Age 18–85 y | Age < 18 y or > 85 y |
| American Society of Anesthesia ASA classes 2, 3, 4 | Patients with overt congestive heart failure (CHF) |
| Elective or semi-elective cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), cardiac valve repair or replacement via median sternotomy, and cardiopulmonary bypass | Emergency cases, for example, aortic dissection Patients on mechanical cardiac support [extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) and/or intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) |
| Patients with mobility problems | |
| Patients who lack support at home | |
| History of stroke or endocarditis | |
| Preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) < 125 g/L | |
| Body mass index (BMI) > 35 | |
| Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² | |
| Preoperative ejection fraction (EF) < 35% by echocardiography | |
| Surgery requires deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) | |
| Percutaneous interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) | |
| Surgery for a heart transplant | |
| Surgery for ventricular assist device insertion | |
| Abnormal liver function tests: albumin < 30 g/L, AST, ALT > double normal range for both (i.e. > 100 units/L) | |
| Intraoperative variables excluded from the analysis | |
| Aortic cross-clamp (AOX) > 150 min | |
| Cardiopulmonary bypass time (CPB) > 240 min | |
| Inability to close the chest due to (bleeding, hemodynamic instability) | |
| Postoperative need for IABP |