Background: Patients suffering from malignant hematological disorders may be at increased risk, when undergoing cardiac surgery. We report on our experiences with ten cardiac procedures in nine patients (3 males, 6 females, 19-85 yr old, mean age 61 yr).
Methods and results: There were two patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and one patient each with Waldenstrom's syndrome, multiple myeloma, polycythemia, myelodysplasia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and idiopathic aplastic anemia. Cardiac diseases included coronary artery disease in six, aortic stenosis in two, and mitral insufficiency in one patient. Consecutively, cardiac procedures were coronary artery bypass grafting in six, aortic valve replacement in two, and mitral valve replacement in one patient. No patient died. Postoperatively, one patient suffered from a pericardial tamponade requiring surgical removal and 5 months later from a prosthetic endocarditis necessitating change of the bioprosthesis. One patient developed a superficial wound infection, which was treated conservatively. Four patients received no blood products. Altogether, we transfused 32 packed red blood cells, seven units of fresh frozen plasma and 16 platelet concentrates. Total drainage loss was 883 ml (250-1510 ml).
Conclusions: Cardiac surgery in patients suffering from malignant hematological disorders may be performed, but carries an increased morbidity. Therefore, indications for cardiac procedures must be carefully considered.