ABSTRACT
The study was designed to evaluate the influence of changes in pulmonary artery pressure on the ventilation requirements in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery. Thirty patients with mitral valve disease with significant pulmonary arterial hypertension undergoing mitral valve replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass were included in this prospective study. All patients had a pulmonary artery catheter placed after the anaesthetic induction. The minute ventilation was adjusted to achieve an arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) of 35-40 mm Hg. After a stabilisation period of 15 minutes, the pulmonary artery pressure and the minute volume needed for maintaining a PaCO2 of 35-40 mm Hg in the precardiopulmonary bypass, post-cardiopulmonary bypass and six hours postoperatively were measured after ensuring stable haemodynamics and normothermia. There was a significant decrease in the mean pulmonary artery pressure from pre-cardiopulmonary bypass value of 41.3+/-15 mm Hg to 29.3+/-8 mm Hg in the postcardiopulmonary bypass period and subsequently to 25.5+/-7 mm Hg in the intensive care unit. There was a corresponding increase in the minute volume requirements from a pre-cardiopulmonary bypass value of 6.8+/-1 L/min to 8.0+/-1 L/min in the post cardiopulmonary bypass period and then to 9.4+/-1.2 L/min in the postoperative period. We conclude that there is a significant decrease in the pulmonary blood volume and a subsequent decrease in the pulmonary artery pressure after a successful mitral valve replacement in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. This is associated with a significant increase in the requirement of minute ventilation to maintain normocarbia.