Pulmonary complications in pediatric cardiac surgery at a university hospital

To identify the prevalence of pulmonary complications in children undergone cardiac surgery, as well as demographic and clinical characteristics of this population.

The sample comprised 37 children of both genders, underwent cardiac surgery at the Hospital Universitário Presidente Dutra, São Luis (MA) during the year of 2007. There were not included patients who had lung disease in pre-operative period, patients with neurological disorders, intra-operative death besides lack of data in medical records. The data were obtained from general medical and nursing staff of their medical records.

The population of the study was predominantly composed by female children, from the countryside and at school age. Pathologies considered low risk were the majority, especially the patent ductus arteriosus, interventricular communication and interatrial communication. It was observed that the largest share of children made use of cardiopulmonary bypass for more than 30 minutes, with a median of 80 minutes, suffered a median sternotomy, using only the mediastinal drain and made use of mechanical ventilation after surgery, with the median about 6.6 hours. Only three (8.1%) patients developed pulmonary complications, and of these, two died.

Most of the sample was female, school aged and from the countryside. The low time of cardiopulmonary bypass and mechanical ventilation, and congenital heart disease with low risk, may have been factors that contributed to the low rate of pulmonary complications postoperative.