Inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in myocardial function, severe congestive heart failure and sepsis. The present study tested the hypothesis that cytokine levels are elevated after low-risk coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), and that they may be associated with postoperative cardiac dysfunction. Twenty male patients undergoing elective CABG in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were studied. Plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were measured before anesthesia induction, 5 minutes after, and 1, 4, and 20 hours after reperfusion to the myocardium. Levels of the MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) were measured postoperatively. Hemodynamic data were also recorded. Myocardial ischemia was followed by an increase in the plasma levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. The duration of IL-6 response lasted throughout the postoperative period studied. Plasma cytokine levels at 1 hour after reperfusion correlated with the maximum CK-MB value (IL-6, r = 0.587, p < 0.01; IL-8, r = 0.460, p < 0.05; IL-10, r = 0.570, p < 0.05). Higher plasma IL-6 and IL-8 levels after reperfusion tended to be linked with lower cardiac index. The present results confirm that the levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 are elevated after CABG. Increased systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were partially associated with postoperative myocardial dysfunction. </hea