“Other” Neurologic Complications After Cardiac Surgery

Compared to the neurologic morbidity of stroke and cognitive dysfunction, “other” neurologic complications involving injuries to the brachial plexus, phrenic nerve, cranial nerves, other peripheral nerves, as well as the visual pathways, have been disproportionately underrepresented in the cardiac surgery and anesthesiology literature. These injuries are often missed in the early postoperative period when attention is focused principally on recovery from the acute trespass of cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. However, when these problems do become apparent, they can cause considerable discomfort and morbidity. An overview of the current concepts of injury mechanisms/etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and when possible, prevention of these injuries is presented.