Ann Thorac Surg 2001;72:S2226
© 2001 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Supplement: Monitoring and improving patient safety during and following cardiac surgery
Discussion
Richard D. Weisel, MDa
a Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Toronto Hospital, EN 14-215, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada
e-mail: rweisel@uhn.on.ca
Coronary sinus measurements are extremely valuable in that they give you a great deal of information about what is happening with the myocardium. About 20 years ago, we performed a study in which we obtained postoperative coronary angiograms on 200 consecutive patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Hoping to gain a better understanding of why complications occurred, I carefully reviewed every patient who had a postoperative complication, particularly patients who developed new Q-wave infarcts or low-output syndrome. Reviewing the postoperative angiograms, I could identify the problem causing the complication in 50% of these patients. For example, a diagonal branch that was open preoperatively would be occluded postoperatively; a distal LAD would not be adequately perfused postoperatively because of a technical problem with a newly constructed graft to the LAD, etc. In 50% of the patients with complications, I could not identify any problem on the postoperative angiogram that would account for the complication. The complications in these patients could be due to any of a variety of . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Copyright © 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
