Infection after Cardiovascular Surgery

Abstract

A prospective study of 72 patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery showed that postoperative infections occurred in 20 - three after 31 nonbypass and 17 after 41 cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. Postoperative fever and leukocytic response did not help to identify the presence of infection, but infected patients tended to have lower white-cell counts and more juvenile polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Prophylactic antibiotic regimens consisting of placebo, penicillin-streptomycin or oxacillin were administered in a double-blind manner. The placebo treatment was eliminated after two patients on this regimen were found to have pneumococcal endocarditis. The antibiotic regimens did not appear to alter the frequency of postoperative infection in this small group of patients, but the specific organisms responsible for major infections may have been determined by the prophylactic regimen employed.