Elemental content of erythrocytes from patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery using PIXE analysis

This on-going study was conducted on erythrocytes to further establish the content of elements of blood fractions from patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery. As the quality and quantity of elements in these samples were unknown, proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis was chosen for its multi-elemental analysis capabilities on small mass samples. Previous work demonstrated the detection of several elements using PIXE analysis and that the elemental concentrations of S, Cl, Ca and Fe were worthy of note. It is indicated that continuing analysis of these cell fractions may be significant in the study of trace element metabolism as it provides insight into understanding mechanisms for preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and hence a patient's state of health. The analysis of erythrocytes was conducted at pre, during and post-operative timepoints to investigate the changes that occur during and post-surgical intervention. Elements Na, Mg, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Rb were detected in erythrocytes at all surgery timepoints and from normalized graphs, elements S, K and Fe revealed that the changes in concentration through surgery followed an almost identical pattern. It is anticipated that statistical correlation and interpretation of data may provide, in the long-term, information that could have an impact on the patients' rate of recovery or appropriate aftercare.