[Open heart surgery in patients with systemic diseases requiring steroid treatment]

Our surgical experiences in 9 patients who required steroid treatment for systemic diseases before, during and after the open heart surgery were reviewed. Subjects included 3 patients with systemic lupus erythematodes, 3 with aortitis syndrome, 1 with Behçet disease and 1 with rheumatoid arthritis. Cardiovascular lesion was aortic valve regurgitation in 2, Stanford A aortic dissection in 1 and ischemic heart disease in 3 patients. Duration of morbidity for systemic diseases before the surgery ranged between 0 nd 102 months, with a mean of 36 months. Steroid treatment was continued for 4 to 216 months (mean 70+/-76 months) before the surgery at a dose of 5-40 mg per day for conversion into prednisolone. In principal, methylprednisolone was given during the surgery, and the prednisolone was given at a dose of 20-140 mg per day on the day of operation or on the first postoperative day. Surgical procedures included a aortic valve prosthesis with Dacron cloth skirt implantation in 1 patient, surgical angioplasty of the left main coronary ostium in 1 and internal thoracic arteries grafting in 2 patients. Hospital mortality was 1 patient due to low cardiac output syndrome. Acute renal failure occurred in 2 patients with systemic lupus erythematodes, and wound complication was observed in 2 patients. In our experience, appropriate treatment for systemic diseases, timing of surgery and continuation of steroid treatment at an appropriate dose during and after the surgery seemed very important such as surgical procedure in order to prevent postoperative complications such as periprosthetic leakage and failure of anastomosis.