Perioperative acid-base disturbances increase CDI risk after cardiac surgery: Study

Poland: The presence of hyperlactatemia and decreased lactate clearance during cardiac surgery may predict the occurrence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) post-surgery, finds a recent study in the journal PlosONE.

Whether acid-base balance disturbances during the perioperative period may have an impact on CDI is not clear. CDI is the third most common major infection that occurs after cardiac surgery. Dariusz Plicner, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Krakow, Poland, and colleagues hypothesized that perioperative acid-base abnormalities including lactate disturbances may predict the probability of incidence of CDI in patients after cardiac procedures.

For the purpose, the researchers analyzed 12,235 patients after cardiac surgery, of which 143 (1.2%) developed CDI. The control group included 200 consecutive patients without diarrhea, who underwent cardiac procedure within the same period of observation.

The researchers determined pre-, intra and post-operative levels of blood gases, as well as lactate and glucose concentrations. Postoperatively, arterial blood was drawn four times: immediately after surgery and successively; 4, 8 and 12 h following the procedure.