A Jostra HL30 heart-lung machine (Maquet Cardiopulmonary AG,
Hirrlingen, Germany) with roller pumps was used in all cases, a cardiac
index of 2.6 L/min/m
2
was maintained in all patients and, when pulsed
flow was administered, afixed rate of 80 beats/min with an augmenta-tion of 50%, generating a sinusoidal flow pattern, was applied
throughout aortic cross-clamping. At the end of surgery, patients were
transferred to the cardiac ICU under general anesthesia