Perioperative Fluoroquinolone Treatment Deteriorates Prognosis Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background: Former studies have revealed that fluoroquinolone (FQ) can induce aortic expansion and rupture. While FQ is widely used in perioperative anti-infection therapy, its impact on graft patency and patient survival is unknown. Methods: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) data were extracted from the MIMIC-III database. Chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, or ANOVAs were used to compare baseline data between groups determined by FQ therapy status, depending on the data type. Propensity score matching was used to establish a balanced cohort. Cox regression was used to investigate the impact of FQ on CABG patient survival, whereas paired t-tests were used to analyze secondary results. Results: Of the 5030 patients who underwent CABG, 937 (18.6%) received oral or intravenous FQ therapy. Using propensity score matching, these 819 patients were successfully matched with 819 controls in a 1:1 ratio. Cox regression showed that FQ significantly decreased survival among CABG patients (HR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.21−2.15, p = 0.001). Furthermore, FQ usage was associated with longer hospitalization (<0.0001), ICU duration (<0.0001), ventilation period (<0.0001), and duration of vasopressor administration (<0.0001). Conclusions: Perioperative FQ therapy was associated with worse prognosis and a more difficult recovery among patients with CABG.