Does the use of Ultrafiltration in Open Heart Surgery Reduce Eye Complications?

Abstract

Introduction: The effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on human eyes are one of the least researched subjects. In our study, we investigated the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass and ultrafiltration on the eyes. Patients and Methods: Patients undergoing elective coronary artery surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass were evaluated. The study was conducted with 40 patients. Patients were divided into two groups. In Group I (n= 20) ultrafiltration was applied during cardiopulmonary bypass, whereas in Group II (n= 20) ultrafiltration was not applied. Intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness were measured in all patients Results: We found non-statistically significant intraocular pressure increase in Group I (p= 0.586) and non-statis tically significant intraocular pressure decrease in Group II (p= 0.133). There was a minimal increase in the central corneal thickness in both groups (p= 0.323), and there was a statistically significant increase in the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in both groups but there was no statistically significant difference between the both groups (p= 0.908). Conclusion: We did not detect any difference in ophthalmologic findings between both patient groups with and without ultrafiltration.