Cerebral damage during open-heart surgery. Clinical, psychometric, biochemical and CT data

The incidence and extent of cerebral damage following open-heart surgery were prospectively investigated in 103 patients, using clinical assessment, psychometry, adenylate kinase analysis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF-AK) and computed tomography (CT) of the brain. The surgical mortality was 1.9%. Clinically there was obvious cerebral dysfunction in four cases, subtle evidence of brain damage (mainly undue fatigue) in 16 and no evidence in 81 cases. In the 16 patients the mean CSF-AK was substantially increased (0.122 U/l) and the psychometric performance distinctly impaired (-12 points) postoperatively; in the 81 patients the figures were 0.55 U/l and -3.4. Psychometrically, 60% of the patients showed cerebral dysfunction, which was pronounced in 16%. CSF-AK analysis indicated cerebral damage as absent or trival in 45%, moderate in 33% and marked in 22%. CT revealed postoperative cerebral infarction in two cases. Results from the various methods showed reasonable correlation, but also considerable overlap. Open-heart surgery thus can cause brain damage additional to that neurologically discernible. Fatigue is an important sign in this context. In research on postoperative brain damage, the relative insensitivity of routine neurologic investigation calls for supplementary, refined methods.