Objective: To investigate the cardioprotective effect of Rhodiola Crenulate in patients with gastric cancer and concomitant coronary heart disease during perioperative period.
Methods: Sixty-nine consecutive patients with gastric cancer and concomitant coronary heart disease from January 2017 to June 2018 scheduled to undergo gastrectomy were enrolled. The patients were randomly allocated to study group and control group. Thirty-four cases in study group were given 10 mL Rhodiola Crenulate injection by intravenous infusion from preoperative day 1 to postoperative day 3, and 35 cases in control group were given placebo (0.9% saline) administered in the same fashion. The blood samples of the patients were drawn before operation as well as immediately and 24 h after operation to examine the levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), troponin I (cTnI), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The postoperative recovery and the incidence of main adverse cardiac events during hospitalization were observed. 
Results: The baseline data showed no significant differences between the two groups of patients (all P>0.05). The levels of cTnI, CK-MB, NT-proBNP and hs-CRP in both groups were continually increased after operation, but the increasing amplitudes of them were milder in study group than those in control group, in which, the level of CK-MB in study group was significantly lower than that in control group immediately after operation, and the levels of all above parameters in study group were significantly lower than those in control group 24 h after operation (all P<0.05). The times to first flatus and defecation as well as the length of hospital stay in study group were shorter than those in control group (all P<0.05). The incidence of each adverse cardiac event showed no significant difference between the two groups (all P<0.05). 
Conclusion: Rhodiola Crenulate has cardioprotective effect for patients with gastric cancer and concomitant coronary heart disease during perioperative period, and can also promote the postoperative recovery of these patients.