Jaundice following open-heart surgery.

surgery. A study was made into the factors influencing the onset of jaundice in 102 patients undergoing valve replacement during cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative jaundice appeared to be correlated with double valve replacement, the co-existence of an uncorrected valvular lesion, length of perfusion and myocardial ischaemia times, and also the age of the patient. Factors appearing not to be correlated with the onset of jaundice included preoperative pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac index, parameters of preoperative renal and hepatic function, and the amount of blood used during bypass. The biochemical features of the jaundice seemed to follow a pattern not previously recognized in this context, with sometimes considerably raised bilirubin levels in association with virtually normal levels of transaminases and alkaline phosphatase.