Cerebral dysfunction after coronary artery bypass grafting done with mild or moderate hypothermia

Objective: Ninety-nine patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting were enrolled in a prospective, randomized study to evaluate the incidence of cerebral dysfunction after 'mild' or 'moderate' hypothermia during cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods: Patients were evaluated before and after operation before hospital discharge and in some cases at follow-up at least 6 weeks later with a complete neurologic examination (85 patients) and a battery of standard neuropsychometric tests (86 patients). Results: Postoperative changes detected by neurologic examination consisted of the appearance of new primitive reflexes in both groups. No statistically significant differences in incidence were found. The neuropsychometric performances of the two groups were statistically similar by either event- rate or group-rate analysis. Conclusions: There is no detectable difference in postoperative cerebral dysfunction in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting who are supported by cardiopulmonary bypass with either mild or moderate hypothermia.