The associations between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene polymorphism, plasma cytokines, and cardiopulmonary function after elective cardiac surgery were evaluated. Patients homozygous for the TNFB2 allele displayed larger concentrations of TNF-alpha and interleukin-6 and had an increased risk of developing left ventricular and pulmonary dysfunction compared with TNFB1 homo- or heterozygotes.

Patients treated with prolonged multiple system intensive care after heart surgery have a poor outcome with respect to quality of life measured at least 1 yr after discharge from the ICU.

No abstract