Collection of Heart Tissue Sample During Open Heart Surgery

This study will collect heart tissue that is routinely removed and discarded during open-heart surgery. The Cardiology Branch of the NHLBI is conducting a variety of laboratory experiments that require a sample of heart tissue. A segment of tissue is routinely cut out of the right atrial appendage of the heart during open-heart surgery to allow the heart-lung bypass machine to be attached to the heart for protection during surgery. This small tissue sample is not re-attached after the bypass machine is removed, but usually destroyed as medical waste.' People between 18 and 80 years of age who are scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery or aortic valve replacement surgery may be eligible for this study. Participants donate the right atrial appendage of the heart, which would normally be destroyed after their open-heart surgery. The tissue will be used by NHLBI investigators in studies directed at learning how to make the heart less sensitive to damage from a heart attack. The samples may be used, for example, to evaluate the effectiveness of known therapies, refine treatment approaches, identify potential new therapies, or explore opportunities for disease prevention.