Clinical Relevance Of The Systemic Inflammatory Reaction Related To Cardiac Operations In Children

Cardiac operations involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are related to a complex systemic inflammatory response which induces a variable degree of organ dysfunction. While CPB-related complications are relatively rare in adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery, postoperative organ dysfunction or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome remain important complications of pediatric cardiac surgery which are ascribed, at least in part, to the uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response (13).