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Gastrointestinal complications following cardiac surgery: a comprehensive review

Roberto Rodriguez1, Michael P Robich, Juan F Plate

  • 1Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Roberto.Rodriguez@caritaschristi.org

Journal of Cardiac Surgery
|February 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery are rare but serious, with a 34.1% mortality rate. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving outcomes in these high-risk patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Surgical Outcomes

Background:

  • Gastrointestinal complications post-cardiac surgery lead to significant morbidity, mortality, and increased healthcare costs.
  • These complications prolong hospital stays and negatively impact patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of gastrointestinal complications following cardiac surgery.
  • To emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature search was conducted on Medline for studies published in the last 30 years.
  • Included studies focused on coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and CABG/valve operations.
  • Excluded studies on thoracic and transplant-related complications.

Main Results:

  • Gastrointestinal complications occurred in 1.21% of over 151,000 cardiac surgery patients, with a 34.1% mortality rate.
  • Identified risk factors include advanced age, low cardiac output, peripheral vascular disease, reoperation, renal insufficiency, multiple transfusions, prolonged bypass, arrhythmias, and intraaortic balloon pump use.
  • Multifactorial etiologies, often linked to hypoperfusion, contribute to these complications; delayed diagnosis correlates with poor outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Gastrointestinal complications, though infrequent, necessitate prompt diagnosis for better patient outcomes.
  • Many identified risk factors are non-specific indicators of patient frailty.
  • A low threshold for diagnostic evaluation is recommended for patients showing deviations from normal recovery post-cardiac surgery.
Abstract

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