SYNTAX Score is associated with worse outcomes after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery for three-vessel or left main complex coronary disease

Objective: The SYNergy between percutaneous intervention with TAXus drug eluting stents and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) Score is a tool for risk stratification of patients according to the complexity of coronary lesions developed during the SYNTAX trial. We examined the influence of the SYNTAX Score on the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Methods: All patients with de novo left main or 3-vessel disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting from January 2005 to December 2008 at our institution (Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain) were retrospectively assessed, and their SYNTAX Score was calculated. The influence of the SYNTAX Score on post-procedural and follow-up mortality and combined major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (including death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, and repeat revascularization) was identified by multivariate analysis. Balancing score analysis was performed to eliminate the effect of potential confounders. Results: A total of 716 patients were enrolled. Mean SYNTAX Score was 34.5 (standard deviation, 6.7; range, 11.5-76). Three groups of patients were identified according to the score terciles: low (<= 33), intermediate (33-37), and high (>37). These terciles scores differed greatly from those reported by the SYNTAX trial investigators. The multivariate analysis identified that the SYNTAX Score was associated with follow-up mortality (hazard ratio = 1.046, P = .015) and combined early and follow-up major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (odds ratio = 1.079, P<.001; and hazard ratio = 1.034, P = .026, respectively). Balancing score-adjusted analyses demonstrated that the SYNTAX Score was independently associated with early and late major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (odds ratio = 1.65, P<.001; and hazard ratio = 1.034, P=.027, respectively). Conclusions: SYNTAX Score was remarkably high among patients undergoing surgical off-pump myocardial revascularization at our institution. In this subset of patients, a higher SYNTAX Score was associated with a higher incidence of in-hospital and follow-up major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events after coronary artery bypass grafting, but not with early or late mortality. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2011; 142:e123-32)