The Effect of Open Heart Surgery on Tuberculin Skin Test Reactivity
To examine whether treatment with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), which causes transient cellular immunity depression, influences tuberculin skin testing (TST) interpretation. The study was also aimed to assess the degree of cellular immunity depression following open heart surgery. Fifteen children from developing countries with latent tuberculosis (TST ?10 mm), undergoing open heart surgery had their TST repeated within 4872 h following surgery. We compared the size of skin test induration before and after surgery and the relation of postsurgery skin induration to time on CPB (pump time). There was no significant difference in the size of induration before and after surgery (mea
open heart surgery tuberculin skin test