OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to clarify the relationship between cardiopulmonary bypass with the use of a heart-lung machine and gallstones in a short-term follow-up. METHOD: A total of 135 patients with ischaemic heart disease were included in this study. All were followed up by the Cardiology Department of Hospital São Paulo, Federal University of São Paulo. They were divided into three groups: Group 1 - 51 patients who were treated clinically; Group 2 - 43 patients who underwent coronary artery grafting bypass without cardiopulmonary bypass; and Group 3 - 41 patients who underwent coronary artery grafting bypass with cardiopulmonary bypass and the use of a heart-lung machine. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in relation to gender, age, body mass index or associated diseases (p<0.05). All the patients underwent ultrasound examination 12 months after beginning their cardiological treatment (clinical treatment alone or surgical plus follow-up). RESULTS: The prevalence of gallstones in the groups was: Group 1 - 7.84%, Group 2 - 11.62%, and Group 3 - 19.51%. There was no statistically significant differences between the groups (p = 0.248). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that cardiopulmonary bypass does not appear to have a close relationship with gallstone formation one year after coronary artery bypass grafting. However, long-term follow-up is advisable.
Coronary disease; Extracorporeal circulation; Heart-lung machine; Gallstones; Cholelithiasis; Cross-sectional studies
