Chronic H2 receptor antagonist treatment and pulmonary complications post cardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of chronic H2 receptor antagonist treatment and pulmonary complications, length of stay in intensive care (ITU), high dependency (HDU), and stay in hospital in patients who undergo pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass.


METHODS
An analysis from a prospective database of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with pulsatile perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass.


METHODS
Hammersmith Hospital, regional cardiothoracic surgical centre.


METHODS
2,642 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery involving pulsatile perfusion. Of these, 255 were on H2 receptor antagonist treatment.


RESULTS
Time to extubation, re-intubation rate, incidence of pulmonary oedema, measures incidence of lobar collapse and consolidation, incidence of antibiotic treatment for pulmonary infection, length of ITU, HDU and total hospital stay.


RESULTS
75.8% of patients on H2 receptor antagonists compared with 74.5% of control patients had no respiratory complications after cardiac surgery (P > 0.5). There was no significant difference between collapse and consolidation (P > 0.5), collapse and consolidation requiring antibiotics (P > 0.5), re-intubation (P > 0.5), pulmonary oedema (P > 0.5), time to extubation (P > 0.5), length of ITU stay (P > 0.5), length of HDU stay (P > 0.5), length of hospital stay (P > 0.5), and mortality (P > 0.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic H2 receptor antagonist treatment has no effect on pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery.
Poullis
M
M
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. mpoullis@rpms.ac.uk
D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D003422:Critical Care; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists