Relationship Between Selenium Trace and Patient Outcome After Open-Heart Surgery

Area of Science:

• Cardiology and Trace Element Metabolism
• Surgical Patient Monitoring

Background:

• Acute stress from heart surgery can lead to significant patient morbidity.
• Selenium is recognized for its cardioprotective properties, but its role in open-heart surgery patients remains unclear.
• Understanding selenium level dynamics is crucial for maintaining patient homeostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate serum selenium levels in patients before and after open-heart surgery.
• To investigate the correlation between serum selenium concentrations and patient outcomes post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• Prospective analytical study involving 100 patients undergoing open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
• Serum selenium levels were measured pre-operatively and at one and two days post-operatively.
• Analysis of the relationship between serum selenium and patient outcomes.

Main Results:

• Mean serum selenium levels were 72.90 ± 14.62 μg/L on admission, 71.20 ± 15.84 μg/L on day one post-op, and 71.54 ± 15.97 μg/L on day two post-op.
• Serum selenium showed significant inverse associations with patient age, duration of surgery, and duration of CPB.
• A significant positive association was observed between serum selenium levels and intensive care unit stay duration.

Conclusions:

• Low serum selenium levels are linked to adverse patient outcomes following open-heart surgery.
• Findings suggest selenium status is a relevant factor in the recovery and well-being of cardiac surgery patients.