Cardiac surgery in patients with end-stage renal disease: 10-year experience

End-stage renal disease is known to be an important risk factor complex for cardiac operations performed with cardiopulmonary bypass.

To investigate the influence of preoperative status on perioperative mortality and morbidity, we retrospectively analyzed data from 65 patients (20 women and 45 men with a mean age of 58.8+/-10.0 years [+/-standard deviation]) with end-stage renal disease who were on dialysis and who underwent a cardiac surgical procedure between 1988 and 1998.

Fifty-one percent of the patients had isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, 35% had replacement or reconstruction of one valve or two valves, and 14% underwent combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valve replacement. The perioperative mortality rate was 13.8% with 78% (7 of 9) of deaths occurring in patients having a valve procedure. Six of the 9 patients who died had compromised left ventricular function preoperatively, and all 9 were in New York Heart Association class III or IV. Mean preoperative duration of dialysis was longer (80+/-70 months) in the 9 patients who died compared with that in the surviving 56 patients (45+/-49 months) (p = 0.05). We found dyspnea at rest, duration of dialysis of 60 months or more, combined procedures (coronary artery bypass grafting and valve operation), and New York Heart Association class IV to be associated with a higher relative risk for perioperative death. Neither angina pectoris nor isolated coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with increased relative risk for perioperative death. However, after a cardiac operation, mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease was substantially higher than in those with normal renal function.

These data are comparable with those in the literature and possibly suggest that both indications and referral for surgical intervention have been delayed in patients who have end-stage renal disease combined with coronary artery disease, valve disease, or both. The delay may contribute to the relatively high perioperative mortality.