Objective To elucidate the protective effect of leukocyte depletion on the myocardium during the settings of myocardial reperfusion injury. Methods Twenty patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass with continuous infusion of blood cardioplegia were randomized into two groups:the control group (n=10) with no leukocyte depletion filter used, and the experimental group (n=10) with the use of leukocyte depletion filter on the bypass circuit. The blood cells count before and after the filtration were measure...