Impact of preoperative neurologic events on outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting

Background. Neurologic events (permanent stroke and transient events) can be devastating complications after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study assessed the impact of a history of preoperative neurologic events on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) vs conventional coronary artery bypass (CCAB). Methods. From January 1996 to June 2006, 14,278 patients underwent primary, isolated CABG (5641 OPCAB and 8637 CCAB) at Emory Healthcare Hospitals and were prospectively entered into a computerized database. In a multiple logistic regression analysis using propensity score adjustment, we evaluated the impact of preoperative neurologic events on in-hospital mortality and postoperative neurologic events in patients undergoing OPCAB vs CCAB using adjusted odds ratios (AOR). Results. Overall, postoperative neurologic events occurred in 1.9% (274 of 14,278) of patients and were associated with an in-hospital mortality of 13.5% (37 of 274). In the logistic regression analysis, patients with preoperative neurologic events had a higher incidence of postoperative neurologic events (AOR, 3.07; p < 0.0001) and in-hospital mortality (AOR, 2.19; p < 0.0001). The OPCAB patients were less likely to have postoperative neurologic events compared with CCAB patients (AOR, 0.49; p < 0.001). However, no significant interaction existed between preoperative neurologic events and operation type for any of the postoperative comparisons. Conclusions. Preoperative neurologic events are risk factors for postoperative neurologic events and in-hospital mortality. OPCAB is associated with a reduced risk of postoperative neurologic events compared with CCAB. However, OPCAB does not confer additional risk reduction in patients with preoperative neurologic events.