[Frequency of pathological changes of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients awaiting heart surgery]

While waiting for open heart surgery, in 153 patients (104 male, 49 female, 22-76 years of age) without gastrointestinal symptoms and/or history esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy was performed. 124 patients suffered from coronary heart disease, 29 from valvular defect, aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva or tumor of the heart. In 47.1% endoscopy revealed serious abnormal findings: in 16.3% gastric ulcer, in 20.9% erosive gastritis, duodenal ulcer and erosive duodenitis in 5.2%, respectively, 1 case of gastric carcinoma, 2 of large polyps and 3 of reflux esophagitis of higher degree (totally 3.9%). In patients with coronary artery disease, the relation of erosive and ulcerous gastric lesions as compared with those of duodenal origin was 4:1, in patients with other cardiac diseases it was 2:1, respectively (p less than 0.001). Compared with a normal population, the incidence of pathological gastric findings was 54-fold higher in our patients, and 1.7-fold concerning duodenal lesions, respectively (p less than 0.001). 51 patients on acetylsalicylic acid (160 mg/die) showed pathologic findings in 41.2%, and 96 patients without ulcer-inducing therapy in 51%. Thus, low-dose Aspirin does not seem to have serious gastric side effects. The results of the study stress the necessity of routinely performed endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients awaiting open heart surgery. This will lead to a lower incidence of serious gastrointestinal complications postoperatively which are known to have a high mortality.