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Coronary artery bypass surgery in patients on maintenance dialysis: long-term survival

J A Opsahl1, D G Husebye, H K Helseth

  • 1Division of Nephrology, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minnesota, Minneapolis 55415.

Insights

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) improves symptoms in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. CABG significantly enhances long-term survival for ESRD patients with severe coronary artery disease compared to dialysis alone.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nephrology
  • Surgical Outcomes

Background:

  • End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients often have coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • The long-term survival impact of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) in ESRD patients is not well-established.
  • Intractable angina is a common symptom in ESRD patients with CAD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term survival outcomes of ESRD patients undergoing CABG.
  • To compare survival rates between ESRD patients who underwent CABG and a matched control group on dialysis.
  • To assess the impact of CABG on functional status in ESRD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 39 ESRD patients (Group 1) who underwent CABG for angina.
  • Matched control group (Group 2) of 39 ESRD patients on maintenance dialysis.
  • Life-table analysis used to determine survival probability from the time of CABG or equivalent dialysis period.
  • Study endpoints included death, withdrawal (transplant, transfer, reoperation), or alive on dialysis; non-cardiac deaths were also analyzed as withdrawals.

Main Results:

  • Patients undergoing CABG had severe three-vessel disease and left ventricular dysfunction.
  • Operative mortality for CABG was 2.6% with an average of 2.56 vessels bypassed.
  • Mean follow-up was 34.9 months for CABG group and 17.2 months for dialysis group.
  • Two-year survival was significantly higher in the CABG group (91.7%) compared to the dialysis group (51.4%) (P < 0.05).
  • Functional classification improved in most CABG patients.

Conclusions:

  • CABG can be performed with acceptable risk in ESRD patients.
  • CABG leads to symptomatic improvement in ESRD patients with intractable angina.
  • CABG significantly improves long-term survival in ESRD patients with severe CAD compared to continued dialysis.

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