[Evaluation of pulmonary function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.]

Pulmonary complications are still a major postoperative problem for cardiac surgeries with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). This study aimed at evaluating pulmonary function changes in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization, as compared to those submitted to valve replacement.

Participated in this study patients undergoing myocardial revascularization (MR Group, n=15) and valve replacement (VR Group, n=15) who were evaluated by the ratio between oxygen blood pressure and its inspired fraction (PaO2/FiO2), oxygen alveolar-arterial gradient (GA-aO2), pulmonary shunt, best compliance PEEP and static PEEP, evaluated in the preoperative period, after anesthetic induction, 1, 3 and 6 postoperative hours and 1st and 2nd postoperative days. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance for repeated measures (p < 0.05).

Alveolar-arterial gradient and pulmonary shunt results were significantly higher for the MR group as compared to the VR group. PaO2/FiO2 ratio was significantly higher in the VR group. There were no differences between groups in static compliance. Postoperative best compliance PEEP was significantly higher in the MR group as compared to the VR group.

Our study has shown that patients submitted to myocardial revascularization presented pulmonary function changes different from those submitted to valve replacement.