Complications of patients undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery at Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas

Abstract

Objective: to identify the immediate complications of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery during the first 7 postoperative days, treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (UCIP) at Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas (HMEP), 2017-2018.

Methods: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. It was carried out with all patients with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) undergoing cardiac surgery with Extracorporeal Circulation (ECC) at the HMEP, during 2017 and 2018. The data source was clinical records. Inclusion Criteria: Patient under 18 years old with postoperative CHD of cardiovascular surgery undergoing ECC. Patients with incomplete medical records were excluded. Analysis was performed in the STATA 15.1 program. The data was presented in absolute and relative frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion. Fisher´s test and Wilcoxon’s rank test were performed to explore the relationship between variables and comparison between groups of patients with or without complications according to the type of variable. Statistical significance was established with P value less than 0.05.

Results: 26.7% (48/180) of the patients were of preschool age, followed by 20.6% (37/180) infants and 20% (36/7180) schoolchildren. 53.9% (97/180) of the total number of patients were male, and 40.7% (73/180) came from Francisco Morazán. The most frequent CCs were: Intraventricular Septal Defects (VSD) with 27.8% (50/180), Tetralogy of Fallot with 22.2% (40/180) and Interatrial Septal Defect (ASD) with 12.8% (23/180). The most frequent complications were hypokalemia in 45% (64/142) of the patients, hypocalcemia, and hemorrhage in 40.8% (58/142), anemia in 38% (54/142), and arrhythmia in 33.8% (48/142). Of the patient studied, 16% (29/180) died. The main causes of death were: cardiogenic shock with 38% (11/29) and multiple organ failure with 17.2% (6/29).

Conclusion: the most frequent complications of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery were metabolic and hematological, these are potentially reversible and to be managed in the time without repercussions in the long and short term.