Long-term prognosis after coronary artery bypass surgery

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a common procedure for coronary heart disease (CHD).
• Long-term outcomes and mortality risks following CABG require ongoing investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events and total mortality in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
• To compare the long-term survival of CABG patients with the general population.

Main Methods:

• Population-based study using a myocardial infarction (MI) register.
• Follow-up of 1158 men and 215 women aged 35-64 years for 12 years post-CABG.
• Exclusion of cardiac events within 30 days of surgery; analysis of non-fatal/fatal CHD events and all-cause mortality.

Main Results:

• Male CABG patient survival was similar to the background population for ~10 years, then declined.
• At 12 years, 23% of male CABG patients died vs. 20% expected; CHD mortality was higher.
• Female CABG patients had about twice the expected mortality; age, smoking, prior MI, BMI, and diabetes predicted mortality.

Conclusions:

• CABG patient prognosis diverges from the general population after approximately ten years.
• Prior myocardial infarction (MI) and major cardiovascular risk factors are predictors of adverse outcomes post-CABG.