Lung Cancer Surgery in Patients With a History of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: A Multicentre Study

Lung cancer surgery may be required for patients with a history of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). In this study, we evaluated the general characteristics of patients, the difficulties experienced during and after lung cancer surgery and complications and mortality rates.

Patients who were operated on for primary lung cancer between January 2012 and July 2017 in the participating centres were analysed retrospectively (n=7,530). Patients with a history of CABG (n=220) were examined in detail. This special group was analysed and compared with other patients operated on for lung cancer who did not have CABG (n=7,310) in terms of 30-day mortality and revision for haemorrhage.

Of the 7,530 patients operated on for primary lung cancer, 2.9% were found to have undergone CABG. Surgical revision was required in the early postoperative period for 6.8% of those who had CABG and 3.5% in those who did not have CABG (p=0.009). Thirty-day (30-day) mortality was 4.5% in those who had CABG and 2.9% in those who did not have CABG (p=0.143). Further analysis of patients who had undergone CABG demonstrated that video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resulted in fewer complications (p=0.015). Patients with a left-sided left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft had a higher number of postoperative complications (p=0.30).

Patients who had CABG suffered postoperative haemorrhage requiring a revision twice as often, and a tendency towards higher mortality (non-statistically significant). In patients with a history of CABG, VATS was demonstrated to have fewer complications. Patients with a LIMA graft who had a left-sided resection had more postoperative complications.