Low Cardiac Output Syndrome After Cardiac Surgery: A Life-Threatening Condition from the Perspective of Pediatric Intensivists

Abstract

Low cardiac output syndrome is a clinical picture insourcing from insufficient oxygen sup- ply to tissues so as to meet the metabolic demand, myocardial dysfunction, and cardiovas- cular insufficiency. Low cardiac output syndrome is seen in nearly 25% of pediatric patients who underwent corrective or palliative surgery due to congenital heart defects. It is a clinical condition occurring typically 6-18 hours after surgery in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery and causes organ failure, prolonged hospital and intensive care hospitalization time, increased resource utilization, and mortality. The identification and correct management of this serious complication in the early period is very important. However, there is no clear con- sensus or consensus report on the follow-up of this patient group and the definition of low cardiac output syndrome. Clinicians generally produced low cardiac output syndrome defini- tions according to their own approach. In this review, we aim to draw attention to low cardiac output syndrome and hope to summarize the pathophysiology, etiology, clinical definition, and treatment options of low cardiac output syndrome as a life-threatening condition in pediatric intensive care unit.