A Case of Post-operative Jaundice After Cardiac Surgery

Hyperbilirubinemia is a common gastrointestinal complication seen post-cardiac surgery. Here, we describe a case of a 72-year-old male with a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), pulmonary hypertension, and valvular heart disease with severe aortic stenosis, severe mitral and tricuspid regurgitations who underwent elective aortic valve replacement (AVR), mitral valve replacement (MVR), and tricuspid valve (TV) repair; in addition, he required left thoracotomy for the repair of pulmonary artery perforation from a Swan-Ganz catheter that resulted in a large left pleural bleed. Post-operatively, he developed severe jaundice, which was predominantly conjugated that peaked at 24 mg/dL. He also required multiple blood products' transfusion in the perioperative period and was supported temporarily with hemodialysis for acute kidney injury superimposed on his CKD. He underwent extensive evaluation for jaundice, which included ultrasound of the liver, hepatobiliary iminodiacetic (HIDA) scan, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), which were all normal. The patient eventually got better and was discharged from the hospital. The hyperbilirubinemia slowly got better without any specific therapy and on his follow-up visit to the office following discharge, his bilirubin level was found completely normalized. Although most cases of post-cardiac surgery hyperbilirubinemia resolve without any specific therapy, the occurrence is not completely benign since it can increase morbidity and mortality. It is paramount that intensivists and cardiothoracic surgeons caring for these patients are aware of this occurrence to prevent unnecessary diagnostic evaluation. Most early cases of hyperbilirubinemia are transient and do not usually increase morbidity and mortality. In the late cases, infectious etiology resulting in sepsis needs to be entertained early and treated aggressively.