Impact of diabetes on short-term outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in acute coronary syndrome

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with concomitant comorbidities, such as atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is the optimal therapy in diabetic patients with triple vessel disease. DM is also known to be a relevant risk factor for higher morbidity and mortality in patients who underwent elective CABG procedures. Data regarding outcomes in diabetic patients in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is heterogeneous. This study aimed to investigate the impact of DM on short-term outcomes in patients who underwent CABG surgery in ACS. Methods: A retrospective propensity score matched (PSM) analysis of 1370 patients who underwent bypass surgery for ACS between June 2011 and October 2019 was conducted. All patients were divided into two groups: non-diabetic group (n = 905) and diabetic group (n = 465). In-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were perioperative myocardial infarction, new onset dialysis, reopening for bleeding and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. A subgroup analysis of patients with insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent DM was also performed. Results: After performing PSM analysis, baseline characteristics and the preoperative risk profile were comparable between both groups. The proportion of patients who underwent total arterial revascularization (p = .048) with the use of both internal thoracic arteries (p < .001) was significantly higher in the non-diabetic group. The incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction (p = .048) and new onset dialysis (p = .008) was significantly higher in the diabetic group. In-hospital mortality was statistically (p = .907) comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: DM was associated with a higher incidence of adverse outcomes, however with comparable in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent CABG procedure for ACS.