The Effect of Vitamin A on Complement Levels During Open Heart Surgery

Complement level (C3) measurements and the effect of an adjuvant on this complement level were carried out in a hundred patients undergoing open and closed heart surgery, at the end of bypass and after correction for hemodilution, a significant, abrupt fall in the complement level was observed. Later, the complement level began to rise gradually in the early post-bypass period of 8-72 hours, to exceed the baseline value later. Vitamin A was administered to twenty patients preoperatively in order to establish its adjuvanicy on the complement level. Off bypass and during the early postbypass period, the complement level in patients with vitamin A showed a higher baseline value and less decrease compared with those without vitamin A. However in the late post-bypass period, the difference was significant in both groups of patients. In twenty patients having closed heart surgery, the complement level did not show any significant difference between baseline and post-bypass period. Thus, it may be concluded that open heart operations cause a significant quantitative decrease in the complement level and it is possible to reduce this fall partially by administration of vitamin A.