Atelectasis and Related Risk Factors After Congenital Heart Disease Surgery

Background: Pulmonary morbidity is a common complication of cardiac surgery, and the most common type of morbidity is atelectasis. The risk factors related to pulmonary morbidities and atelectasis have been previously explored in coronary artery bypass graft and valvular surgery. In this study, we sought to determine the risk factors related to atelectasis after adult congenital heart disease surgery (ACHDS). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 43 patients (mean=36.3 and SD=16.37) who underwent ACHDS. The risk factors related to atelectasis were identified using a questionnaire which contained demographic factors, types of CHD, underlying diseases, and the length of postoperative stay in bed. The collected data were subsequently analyzed with SPSS. Results: Of the 43 patients, only 3 (7%) had atelectasis after ACHDS. The tetralogy of Fallot surgery and delayed postoperative ambulation (>24 h) had a P value of 0.027 and 0.000, respectively. The other factors had P values higher than 0.05 and were, thus, not related to atelectasis. Conclusions: The tetralogy of Fallot surgery and delayed postoperative ambulation (>24 h) were associated with the rate of atelectasis after ACHDS.