# The Usefulness of Microcirculatory Assessment After Cardiac Surgery: Illustrative Case Report

## TL;DR

This case report shows how microcirculatory assessment can reveal improved tissue perfusion after cardiac surgery, even when traditional hemodynamic measures are poor.

## Contribution

The study highlights the clinical relevance of microcirculatory assessment in post-cardiac surgery recovery.

## Key findings

- Microcirculatory parameters improved post-surgery despite poor systemic hemodynamics.
- The use of a CytoCam camera allowed real-time assessment of sublingual microcirculation.
- Structural cardiac defect correction likely contributed to microcirculatory improvement.

## Abstract

Cardiac surgery causes a series of disturbances in human physiology. The
correction of systemic hemodynamic variables is frequently ineffective in
improving microcirculatory perfusion and delivering oxygen to the tissues. We
present the case of a 52-year-old male submitted to mitral valve replacement
(metallic valve) and subaortic membrane resection. Sublingual microcirculatory
density and perfusion were evaluated using a handheld CytoCam camera before
surgery and in the early postoperative period. In this case, systemic
hemodynamic variables were compromised despite an actual improvement in the
microcirculatory parameters in comparison to the preoperative evaluation,
possibly due to the correction of the structural cardiac defects.