Postoperative complications after coronary bypass operations in patients with pulmonary impairment

The postoperative courses of 112 patients with pulmonary disease (59 with obstructive disease = Group 0, 38 with restrictive disease = Group R and 15 with mixed disease = Group M) who underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative pulmonary function test (percentage of vital capacity = %VC and percentage of forced expiratory volume at 1 second = FEV1.0%) of these group showed typical abnormal values, and velocity ratio of 50% and 25% of maximum expiratory flow volume (V50/V25) of each groups were measured abnormal values (3.99 +/- 1.44 of Group O, 4.26 +/- 1.42 of Group R and 3.74 +/- 1.82 of Group M). The our strategy for these groups were a). Using skeletonization method for harvesting internal mammary artery (IMA) b) Take care not to injure the phrenic nerve and open the pleural cavity as surgical techniques (Harvesting IMA) and c) Administration of theophylline derivatives and corticosteroids to prevent bronchospasm d) Administration of concentrated serum albumin and diuretics to prevent pulmonary edema as therapeutic measures. The length of stay in the intensive care unit and ventilation time of each groups were not significantly longer. Patients of group M had more respiratory complications (atelectasis, pleural effusion, pneumothrax, bronchospasm, and pneumonia) than did patients of group R (p < 0.05), but did not more nonpulmonary complications and hospital deaths. The four in hospital deaths (2 with group O, 1 with group R and 1 with group M) were not directly related to pulmonary complications. Thus, result of CABG in patients with pulmonary impairment definitely proved to be satisfactory by our strategy, but mixed pulmonary diseased significantly had more pulmonary complications.