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Is the waiting list a safe place for outpatients awaiting coronary bypass surgery?
1St Bartholomew's Hospital, London.
Insights
Outpatients awaiting coronary bypass surgery had acceptable safety outcomes. While no deaths occurred, some non-fatal adverse events like unstable angina happened unpredictably during the waiting period.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Patients awaiting coronary bypass surgery often remain outpatients.
- Assessing the safety of this outpatient waiting period is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety of outpatients awaiting coronary bypass surgery.
- To identify adverse events and outcomes during the waiting period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 92 outpatients.
- Analysis of waiting times, medication use, and adverse events (unstable angina, myocardial infarction, death).
Main Results:
- Nearly 50% of patients had surgery within 3 months; 75% within 6 months.
- No deaths were recorded among outpatients.
- 4 out of 7 adverse events occurred during the waiting period, all non-fatal.
Conclusions:
- Outpatient waiting for coronary bypass surgery appears safe in the short term.
- Adverse events, though infrequent and non-fatal, can occur unpredictably.
- Further research may be needed to predict and mitigate these unpredictable events.
Abstract:
This study was undertaken to identify the safety of outpatients awaiting coronary bypass surgery. An audit of the outcome of 92 such outpatients at one Regional centre was undertaken by a retrospective review of medical records. Outcome measures were: time on the waiting list, anti-ischaemic medications, readmission for unstable angina, myocardial infarction and death. Almost half of the patients underwent surgery within three months, and three-quarters waited less than six months. No outpatient death occurred. However, 4 of the 7 adverse events occurred within this period. Despite advanced disease, the safety of outpatients awaiting coronary surgery within such a short time frame appeared to be acceptable, the only adverse events being non-fatal and occurring unpredictably.