Patient care problems in patients undergoing reoperation for coronary artery grafting surgery

Over the past six years there has been a 15-fold increase in the number of patients requiring reoperation coronary artery bypass grafting (RCABG) surgery at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. To determine the perioperative risk, a retrospective chart survey of one calendar year's (1981) experience was made comparing the 58 RCABG patients with 59 cohorts undergoing primary operation. All patients were anaesthetized with diazepam, fentanyl and halothane or enflurane anaesthesia. Preoperative evaluation revealed by history that the incidence of unstable angina and digoxin use were greater (p = 0.05) in the RCABG patients. Cardiac catheterization revealed a higher incidence (26 vs 89 percent) of left main coronary disease in controls and similar indices of left ventricular function (wall abnormalities, ejection fraction and LVEDP). Operating and bypass times were longer (p less than 0.01) for RCABG patients and there was a trend for greater (p = 0.08) use of dopamine in the RCABG patients. CK-MB release was significantly (p less than 0.05) greater in RCABG patients. Serious postoperative complications (CK-MB greater than or equal to 15 IU/L, low cardiac output, and death) were significantly (p = 0.02) greater in the RCABG group. It is concluded that RCABG patients represent a greater risk of complications and that new strategies for improving myocardial protection need to be developed to reduce the risk.