Open heart surgery in patients with chronic dialysis

: From January, 1986 to May, 1995, twelve patients with dialysis (11 hemodialysis; HD, and one continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis; CAPD) received open heart surgery. They consist of 10 males and two females aged between 35 and 66 with a mean of 58.8. The duration of dialysis was 6.8 years in a mean (the shortest for 2 months and the longest for 16 years). They classified into an equal number of four in NYHA class II, III and IV. Two of them had isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, four had aortic valve replacement (AVR) and two had mitral valve replacement (MVR). Others were each one of AVR and MVR, AVR plus MVR with tricuspid annuloplasty (TAP), AVR plus TAP, and removal of left atrial myxoma. All patients except for one of CAPD were dialysed daily 2 or 3 days before operation. Three patients were managed postoperatively with HD, one with PD, six with continuous hemodiafiltration, and two with continuous hemofiltration. The operative mortality was 25% (3/12). The causes of death were left ventricular rupture, bronchospasm, and respiratory failure. All patients who died were in class in III and IV. For the improvement of the results we emphasize the necessity of early operation that should be scheduled in class II period.