[Bronchoalveolar lavage in patients surgically treated with extracorporeal surgery]

Nineteen selected patients were operated of coronary artery bypass surgery or aortic valvular replacement. In this cohort a bronchoalveolar lavage was performed before and after cardiopulmonary bypass. A rise in the polimorphonuclear neutrophils count was found in the post-bypass lavage group. The increase on secuestration of neutrophils by the lung could be a manifestation of lung injury due to the cardiopulmonary bypass. A review of this topic is presented.