Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome Following Cardiac Surgery

BackgroundSevere lung injury with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious complication of cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and mortality of ARDS following cardiac surgery. MethodsWe retrospectively analyze data in the period between January 2005 and March 2013. ResultsOf 6069 patients who underwent cardiac surgery during the study period, 37 patients developed ARDS during the postoperative period. The incidence of ARDS was 0.61%, with a mortality of 40.5% (15 patients). Multivariate regression analysis identified previous cardiac surgery, complex cardiac surgery, and more than three transfusions with packed red blood cells (PRBC) were independent predictors for developing ARDS. ConclusionsARDS remains a serious, but very rare complication associated with significant mortality. In our study, previous cardiac surgery, complex cardiac surgery, and more than three transfusions of PRBC were independent predictors for the development of ARDS. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12264 (J Card Surg 2014;29:41-46)