Coronary artery bypass grafting and paraparesis; is there a correlation?

Adult cardiac surgery is associated with significant perioperative morbidity and mortality rates, mainly in elderly patients with co-morbidities. A series of postoperative complications may arise and delay the recovery of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Such complications also increase the burden of resource use and may affect late survival rates. Neurological complications appear mainly as stroke of varying degrees, with impairment of mobility and ability of the patient. We describe a rare case of progressive paraparesis after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, and review its aetiology, diagnosis and management.