Influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the outcome of coronary artery bypass surgery

Purpose. To assess the impact of gender, age, and other cardiovascular risk factors on the outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods. A total of 5 067 consecutive patients undergoing isolated CABG between 1995 and 2000 were divided into the age groups: 25-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and 70-84 years. Data on patient age, gender, smoking, serum cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, diabetes, family history, morbid obesity, and renal failure were retrospectively analyzed. Results. The percentage of women aged >60 years undergoing CABG was higher than the percentage of men aged >60 years (45.6% vs 36.6%). Most of the cardiovascular risk factors, except for smoking, were favorable in women (P < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality was 2.0% in women and 1.7% in men (P = 0.409). CABG was performed on significantly more men than women, accounting for 80.7% and 19.3% of the 5 067 patients, respectively (P < 0.001). However, the incidence increased remarkably in women aged >60 years. Conclusions. The risks of CABG may vary to some degree in accordance with the major cardiovascular risk factors. The risk of operative mortality was independent of gender in this study.