[Treatment of septicemia after open heart surgery].

Among 404 patients who underwent open heart surgery under extracorporeal circulation, three died of septicemia. So far as we know, septicemia is one of the most serious complications after open heart surgery, and its occurrence is closely related to the duration of the operation and the extracorporeal circulation. Major prophylactic measures should include appropriate dosage of effective antibiotics in the perioperative period, strict aseptic surgical techniques during the operation, guaranteed sterilization of surgical materials and instruments, and if possible, strengthened measures of sterilization and filtration of the air in the operating room.