[Pathophysiology of neurological injuries during heart surgery: aspectos fisiopatológicos.].

Background And Objectives: Since neurological injuries are very concerning and important postoperative complications following cardiac surgeries, the purpose of this study was to discuss the pathophysiology of these injuries, what measures can be taken to decrease their incidence and the possible genetic origin of such brain injuries.

Contents: This study is a review of papers which address the pathophysiology of heart surgery-related neurological injuries and their possible genetic origin, as well as some proposals for their prevention.

Conclusions: A lot has been said about cognitive function disorders after heart surgeries, such as myocardial revascularization, which are present causes of increased morbidity and mortality, in addition to longer hospital stay. Major advances to decrease such rates have been observed in this field, and others are still expected aiming at neurological injuries prevention.