The immune response following open-heart surgery--lymphocyte analysis by means of monoclonal antibody staining
Togashi, K.; Nakagomi, M.; Eguchi, S.; Aoki, S.; Tanaka, I.; Shinada, S.
Nihon Kyobu Geka Gakkai 33(11): 2052-2058
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0369-4739 PMID: 2419460 Document Number: 260452
To study the immune response following open-heart surgery, the following examinations were performed in 10 patients (Group A) who underwent open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and in 4 patients (Group B) who underwent vascular surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass: 1) serum concentration of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) by means of single radial immune diffusion method, 2) serum level of complement fractions (C3, C4, C3act) by means of the same method as 1), 3) amount of total lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets (total T-cells, B-cells, helper T-cells, suppressor T-cells) by means of monoclonal antibody staining method. The level of immune globulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) in both groups changed within the normal range during the first postoperative week. And the level of the complement fractions C3 and C4 decreased significantly of the first postoperative day, while C3act level increased significantly on the third and seventh postoperative day in both groups. These findings presumably indicate the increased activation of the complement system in an early period following surgery. In Group A, there was a significant decrease (p < 0.01) of total-lymphocytes/total-leukocytes ratio and T-cells/B-cells ratio during the first postoperative week. But in Group B, there was no significant decrease of these ratios in the same period. In both groups helper T-cells (TH/I)/suppressor T-cells (Ts/c) ratio did not significantly change during the first week following operation. From these data, it may be thought that the patients who underwent open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass should be protected from infection during at least 3 days following the surgery because of a marked decrease of T-lymphocytes, helper T-lymphocytes and suppressor T-lymphocytes either similarly.