Alopecia following cardiopulmonary bypass

Abstract

This paper discusses a case of alopecia after aortocoronary bypass grafting, presenting three weeks after surgery. A subsequent prospective study of 100 patients undergoing open-heart surgery with total cardiopulmonary bypass demonstrated that six patients (6%) developed alopecia in the parieto-occipital region of the scalp. Possible causes of this are described, i.e. relative scalp ischaemia due to hypotension and hypotermia during bypass, heparinization and local pressure. All patches of alopecia showed complete regrowth of hair by six months. As alopecia is a source of considerable anxiety to patients the self-limiting nature of the condition allows full and adequate reassurance to be given.