JUGULAR VENOUS DESATURATION FOLLOWING CARDIAC-SURGERY

Twenty-two patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery underwen t postoperative measurement and recording of jugular venous oxyhaemogl obin saturation (Sj(O2)) with desaturation defined as a value of less than 50% for 5 min or longer. Fifteen of the 22 patients monitored exp erienced desaturations. An average of four episodes were experienced b y those 15 patients (range 1-14). The mean duration of a single episod e was 46 (range 5-212) min whilst mean total duration of desaturation was 175 (range 5-570) min. The mean duration of desaturation in the 15 patients, expressed as a percentage of monitored time, was 21.1% (ran ge 0.58%-61.96%). Sj(O2) desaturation, possibly indicating cerebral hy poperfusion, occurs in the early postoperative period following cardia c surgery.