CTI-01 (Ethyl Pyruvate) Safety and Complication Prevention in Cardiac Surgery Patients on Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB)

Over 500,000 patients undergo cardiac surgery with CPB in the United States annually. Although mortality rates have decreased with advances in perioperative care, many patients are affected by postoperative organ dysfunction. The incidence of complications may exceed 30%. It has been speculated that an exaggerated inflammatory response to surgical trauma and the CPB machine are likely causes for this morbidity. Factors predisposing organ dysfunction include tissue injury, endotoxemia, and oxidative stress. High risk patients can be identified preoperatively through the validated Parsonnet Additive Risk Score. CTI-01 has demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory and tissue protection activity in multiple animal models of disease including pancreatitis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, sepsis, renal injury, and endotoxemia. These findings support its clinical use in critical care medicine including cardiac surgery. Patients will receive a total of six doses, administered intravenously just prior to and after surgery.