Increased risk associated with combined carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a propensity-matched comparison with isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery

OBJECTIVE: Risk associated with combined carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CEA/CABG) is controversial. The present study objective was to compare morbidity and mortality outcomes in well-matched patients who underwent combined CEA/CABG surgery with patients undergoing isolated CABG surgery with and without a history of a prior CEA. DESIGN: This investigation was designed as a retrospective case-controlled study using data from the Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Patient Registry in a single tertiary institution. The patient population consisted of 1,698 isolated CABG surgery patients with carotid artery stenosis >40%, 708 patients who underwent an isolated CABG surgery but had a history of a prior CEA, and 272 combined CEA/CABG surgery patients who underwent surgery from January 4, 1993, through June 30, 2003. Propensity modeling techniques were used to calculate a propensity score for each patient. Greedy matching resulted in 272 propensity-matched pairs of combined CEA/CABG and isolated CABG patients (primary analysis) and 241 propensity-matched pairs of combined CEA/CABG surgery and isolated CABG surgery with previous CEA patients (secondary analysis). A Fisher exact, chi-square, Wilcoxon rank sum, and Student t test were applied appropriately to compare the propensity-matched pairs. RESULTS: The distribution of covariates among the propensity-matched combined CEA/CABG and isolated CABG groups were similar. Among the propensity-matched pairs in the primary analysis, overall morbidity and mortality were higher in the combined CEA/CABG group compared with the CABG group alone (overall morbidity 15% v 8.8%, p = 0.025, and mortality 5.2% v 1.1%, p = 0.007, respectively). Median intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay was longer (47 v 31 hours, p = 0.004) and hospital length of stay was longer (12 v 9 days, p < 0.001) for the combined CEA/CABG surgery compared with isolated CABG surgery, respectively. Postoperative cardiac, neurologic, serious infection, and renal morbid events were similar between the 2 groups. In the secondary analysis, the rates of mortality, overall morbidity, and neurologic morbidity were similar between the groups, whereas the median ICU and hospital length of stay were significantly longer in the combined CEA/CABG group (47.6 v 39.8 hours, p = 0.025, and 12.0 v 9.0 days, p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Increased mortality and overall morbidity outcomes were found in the combined CEA/CABG group when compared with well-matched isolated CABG patients, but similar when compared with well-matched isolated CABG patients with a history of previous CEA. Patients undergoing combined CEA/CABG procedures had significantly longer ICU and hospital lengths of stay compared with patients undergoing isolated CABG procedures.     

Emergency and elective coronary artery bypass grafting: comparisons of risk profiles, postoperative outcomes, and resource requirements

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between preoperative risk factors and postoperative outcomes in emergency and elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients and to quantify resource requirements. DESIGN: Retrospective database review. SETTING: New York State SPARCS database. PARTICIPANTS: Data from 4,001 emergency and 7,489 elective CABG patients were evaluated retrospectively. INTERVENTIONS: Data were compared between groups using chi-squares, t tests, and logistic regression analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Preoperatively, 47.1% of patients in the emergency group had unstable angina and 34.1% had acute myocardial infarction compared with 33.9% and 15.2% in the elective group, respectively (p < 0.0001). There were no marked differences in the preoperative noncardiac risk factors between groups. The mortality rate was 4.7% in the emergency group and 2.6% in the elective group (p < 0.0001). The emergency group had more postoperative cardiac complications (18.3% v 8.3%, p < 0.0001). The length of hospital stay in the emergency group was 17.5 +/- 15.8 days (median 14 days) compared with 12.9 +/- 15.1 days (median 9 days) in the elective group (p < 0.00001). Total hospital charges in the emergency and elective groups were 46,700 US dollars +/- 42,400 US dollars (median 35,600 US dollars ) and 34,800 US dollars +/- 36,400 US dollars (median 26,500 US dollars) (p < 0.00001), respectively. The median total cost was 26,300 US dollars for emergency and 19,600 US dollars for elective group (p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing emergency CABG had greater postoperative morbidity and mortality, longer LOS, and higher total costs than patients undergoing elective surgery. This difference is predictable on the basis of preoperative cardiac risk factors. Emergency operations have a major impact on the rates of morbidity, mortality, and use of resources.     

Earlier recovery with beating-heart surgery: a comparison of 300 patients undergoing conventional versus off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes and cost of off-pump coronary artery bypass (OP-CAB) surgery versus cardiopulmonary bypass-assisted coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: A tertiary care university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (n = 300) undergoing isolated CABG surgery performed by a single surgeon between July 1998 and February 2000. INTERVENTIONS: Two groups of patients were compared: 150 consecutive patients undergoing OP-CAB surgery and a matched cohort of 150 consecutive patients undergoing conventional CABG surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The 2 groups were evenly matched in terms of age and incidence of diabetes, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, left main disease, prior strokes, congestive heart failure, and recent infarctions. OP-CAB procedures required 3.3 grafts per patient versus 3.8 grafts per patient required for CABG surgery (p = 0.02). Overall mortality was 2.0% (1.3% in the OP-CAB surgery group v 2.7 % in the CABG surgery group; p = NS). Extubation times (6.6 hours v 9.5 hours; p = 0.003), surgical intensive care unit length of stay (39 hours v 49 hours; p = 0.03), and hospital length of stay (6.1 days v 7.0 days; p = 0.04) were all significantly shorter for the OP-CAB surgery group. The combined aggregate endpoints of death and major morbidity were significantly less in the OP-CAB surgery group (5.3% v 12.7%; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: OP-CAB surgery is associated with low morbidity and mortality and accelerated recovery compared with conventional CABG surgery. OP-CAB surgery may represent the ideal revascularization strategy for patients at high risk for undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass.     

Does multi-vessel off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting reduce post operative morbidity compared to on-pump CABG?

Background Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may contribute to the complications and it is assumed that eliminating cardiopulmonary bypass has the potential of reducing post operative morbidity after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The study was carried out to compare mortality and morbidity in the off-pump and on-pump CABG groups. Methods We prospectively analysed 200 patients undergoing CABG. Group A consists of 100 patients underwent multi-vessel off-pump CABG and group B consists of 100 patients underwent CABG with CPB. The incidence of complications (mortality, re-exploration for bleeding, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, neurological events, new onset renal failure (s. creatinine>1.6 mg/dL) pulmonary complications, length of ICU stay and hospital stay were recorded, analysed and compared. Results OPCAB patients received 2.73±0.61 grafts/patient and on-pump CABG patients received 3.39±0.75 grafts/patient (p value<0.00001). There was no significant statistical difference in mortality, incidence of stroke between OPCAB and CABG with CPB patients. Length of ICU stay was 32.84±4.22 vs 44.85±7.18 hrs (p value<0.00001) and hospital stay was 6.52±0.69 vs 7.94±0.92 days (p value<0.00001) between group A and group B respectively. Incidence of atrial fibrillation was less in OPCAB group 7% vs 12% although it was statistically not significant (p value 0.33). It was observed in our study that there was no significant deference in worsening of existing renal failure between on-pump CABG and OPCAB 6% vs 2% (P value 0.28). Blood utilization was significantly less in OPCAB group (p value<0.001). Conclusion There was no statistically significant difference in terms of mortality, incidence of stroke and new onset renal failure in both groups. But there was lesser incidence of post operative atrial fibrillation, worsening of existing renal failure in off-pump group though statistically not significant. There was significant reduction in blood utilization, length of ICU and hospital stay in OPCAB group.     

Heparin-bonded Circuits Improve Clinical Outcomes in Emergency Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Abstract Compared to patients undergoing elective or urgent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), those undergoing emergency CABG (EM-CABG) have a higher morbidity and mortality. The use of heparin-bonded circuits (HBC) has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in nonemergent CABG patients. It is not known, however, whether the improved hemostasis and attenuation of the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass, conferred by HBC, can overcome the high incidence of comorbid risk factors in (EM-CABG) patients and improve their outcomes. A retrospective analysis of 206 consecutive patients undergoing EM-CABG over 4 years (1993–1997) at one institution was performed. Eighty-one patients were treated with conventional non-heparin-bonded circuits (NHBC) with full anticoagulation protocol (FAR, activated clotting time [ACT] > 480 sec); 125 patients were treated with HBC and a lower anticoagulation protocol (LAP, ACT > 280 seconds). Outcomes and results were collected prospectively and are presented as mean ± SD. Preoperative risk profiles were similar in both treatment groups. Postoperatively, compared with the NHBC group, patients treated with HBC/LAP required fewer homologous donor units (4.1 ± 10.7 vs 8.2 ± 13.6 units, p = 0.005), were less likely to require inotropic support (18.6% vs 38.3%, p = 0.005), and had a lower incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction (Ml, 3.2% vs 12.3%, p = 0.04) and pulmonary complications (4.0% vs 12.3%, p = 0.04). The use of HBC/LAP resulted in a decreased incidence of postoperative complications (12.8% vs 28.4%, p = 0.01, odds ratio 0.37 with 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0.18-0.76). This resulted in a shorter duration of ventilatory support (30.5 ± 54.0 vs 72.8 ± 16.7 hours, p = 0.009), ICU stay (38.2 ± 36.5 vs 91.5 ± 68.7 hours, p = 0.009), hospital stay (8.0 ± 7.1 vs 11.0 ± 8.9 days, p = 0.008), and therefore cost. In conclusion, the use of HBC/LAP in EM-CABG resulted in a reduction of homologous transfusion and postoperative complications associated with decreased hospital stays and cost.     

Different CABG methods in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary dysfunction is still a major problem in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of this randomized study was to determine the effect of different CABG techniques on pulmonary function. METHODS: Fifty eight patients with severe obstructive pulmonary disease had elective isolated coronary surgery. The surgical methods for the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were standard CABG in 18 patients (group 1), beating heart surgery in 19 patients (group 2), and minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCABG) in 21 patients (group 3). RESULTS: The earliest extubation time was from group 3 (p < 0.001). The average stay in the intensive care unit was significantly longer in group 1 (2.6 +/- 1.5 days) than in groups 2 (1.4 +/- 0.8 days) and 3 (1.1 +/- 0.8 days) (p < 0.05). The most prevalent respiratory morbidity was atelectasis that developed in 6 patients from group 1, in 2 patients from group 2, and in 3 patients from group 3. Forced expiratory volumes in 1 second (FEV1) obtained in the second postoperative month were significantly lower than preoperative values only in group 1 (p < 0.05). Forced vital capacity (FVC) values were significantly lower than the preoperative values in all three groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Off-pump bypass surgical procedures are more advantageous than on-pump methods for patients with COPD. These patients can be operated on using the beating heart technique or by using MIDCABG to prevent side effects of CPB on pulmonary function and effects of sternotomy.     

Management of aortic valve disease during aortic surgery

BACKGROUND: Outcomes and resource utilization of patients undergoing mitral valve replacement (MVR) with or without concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were reviewed. METHODS: Data for 1,844 patients undergoing isolated primary MVR at Emory University Hospitals between 1980 and 1997 were recorded prospectively in a computerized database. RESULTS: The four groups included patients undergoing elective MVR with (n = 360) or without CABG (n = 1332) and urgent/emergent MVR with (n = 66) or without CABG (n = 86). Length of stay was significantly higher in patients undergoing elective MVR with CABG (15 days) than in those without CABG (11 days) but was not significantly different in patients undergoing urgent/emergent MVR with CABG (17 days) than in those without CABG (19 days). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher for patients undergoing elective (14%) or urgent/emergent (41%) MVR with CABG than in those undergoing MVR without CABG (elective:6%; urgent/emergent:20%). The 19-year survival rate was 32% for patients undergoing elective MVR with CABG compared with 51% for those without CABG and 28% for patients undergoing urgent/emergent MVR with CABG compared with 46% for those without CABG. Multivariate correlates of long-term mortality included older age, concomitant CABG, and urgent/emergent status. Hospital costs were significantly higher for patients undergoing elective MVR with ($33,216) than for those without ($23,890) CABG. No significant difference in cost were noted between patients undergoing urgent/emergent MVR with ($40,535) and without ($31,981) CABG. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of CABG or urgent/emergent status to patients undergoing MVR significantly increases morbidity, mortality, and costs. Careful scrutiny of the benefits versus resource utilization is required for patients undergoing high risk MVR.     

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programme versus conventional perioperative care in patients undergoing major intra-abdominal surgical procedures

Aim-Background

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programmes have been applied mainly in patients undergoing major lower gastrointestinal surgery, to attenuate stress response to surgery and enable rapid recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the implementation of ERAS care, as compared to traditional care, is associated with less morbidity (decreased incidence of major postoperative complications) and improved outcome in patients undergoing elective major upper and lower intra-abdominal surgery.

Methods

The patients of two individual surgeons following the ERAS regime were prospectively studied over 6 months and compared with the patients of the other 4 surgeons in the department who followed conventional perioperative care during the same period of time. The outcome measures included incidence of major postoperative complications, length of postoperative hospital stay, number of relaparotomies, number of readmissions, and mortality within 30 days of surgery. Data analysis was performed by the use of Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test.

Results

Sixteen patients treated in accordance with the ERAS programme were compared against 38 controls that received conventional postoperative care. The two groups were similar in terms of age, gender, ASA grade, types of disease and surgery. The ERAS group showed significantly lower morbidity compared to the control group (12.5% vs. 42.1% respectively; p=0.052). Length of stay was significantly shorter in the ERAS group (5 ± 1.6 days vs. 12.2 ± 5.9 days; p<0.00001). There was no difference in readmission rate, relaparotomy rate and mortality between the two groups.

Conclusion

The ERAS programme displays a trend toward a significantly lower incidence of postoperative complications and considerably reduces the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing major elective upper and lower intra-abdominal surgery.     

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in octogenarians

Objectives: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has become accepted for myocardial revascularization because it reduces perioperative morbidity. We assessed the safety and efficacy of bypass surgery on the beating heart in elderly patients. Methods: Off-pump CABG was done in 25 patients aged 80 years or older between February 1996 and February 2001. We retrospectively compared clinical results for these patients to those of 18 consecutive age-matched patients undergoing on-pump CABG during the same period. Results: Mean patient age in both groups was similar −82.2±2.3 years in the off-pump group vs 81.9±2.0 years in the on-pump group (p=0.66). Preoperative risk was similar in both groups, but significantly more patients in the on-pump group had triple-vessel disease. Distal anastomoses were significantly fewer in the off-pump group than in the on-pump group at 2.0±1.0 vs 2.8±0.5 (p<0.01). The off-pump group had a shorter postoperative ventilation −13.4±17.2 hours vs 45.2±52.8 hours (p<0.05)—, and less blood transfused −16% vs 89% (p<0.01)—than the on-pump group. Mean postoperative hospitalization and intensive care unit stay were 18.6 days and 3.2 days in the off-pump group, versus 37.1 days and 9.4 days in the on-pump group (p<0.05). No difference was seen in the incidence of major postoperative complications between groups. No hospital deaths occurred in the off-pump group. Conclusion: Off-pump CABG is thus a safe and effective for myocardial revascularization in the elderly.     

The impact of coronary artery endarterectomy on outcomes during coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract Background: The impact of coronary artery endarterectomy during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been debated. We examined the early and late outcomes of CABG with endarterectomy (CE) compared to CABG alone. Methods: Patients undergoing isolated CABG operations from 2003 to 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. We identified 99 patients who underwent CE and 3:1 propensity matched them to 297 CABG‐alone patients based upon clinical factors: Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) predicted risk of mortality, age, gender, year of surgery, and ejection fraction. Patient risk factors as well as short‐ and long‐term outcomes were compared by univariate and Kaplan‐Meier analysis. Results: Preoperative risk factors were similar between patients undergoing CE or CABG alone. Cross‐clamp times (95.6 vs. 71.8 minutes, p = 0.0001) and perfusion times (121.8 vs. 92.7 minutes, p = 0.0001) were longer in patients undergoing CE. Operative mortality (4.0% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.112) and postoperative complications were not significantly different between groups. Patients undergoing coronary endarterectomy incurred longer ICU (75.06 vs. 48.64 hours, p = 0.001) and hospital stays (9.01 vs. 7.7 days, p = 0.034). Long‐term mortality (mean follow‐up = 27.7 ± 17.7 months) was equivalent despite revascularization technique (p = 0.13); however, patients undergoing CE encountered worse overall freedom from myocardial infarction (MI) (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Patients undergoing CABG with coronary CE required longer ventilatory support and ICU stay yet have comparable operative mortality, major complication rates, and long‐term survival to isolated CABG. Coronary endarterectomy should be considered an acceptable adjunct to CABG for patients with extensive coronary artery disease to achieve complete revascularization. (J Card Surg 2011;26:247‐253)     

Effect of gender on fast-track recovery after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of gender on time to extubation after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and intensive care unit and hospital length of stay. DESIGN: Retrospective study comparing outcomes as related to gender. SETTING: Tertiary care university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients (n = 561; 376 men, 185 women) undergoing CABG surgery between January 1995 and December 1997. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Early extubation was possible in 74% of men versus 64% of women (p = 0.03); length of stay was < or =5 days in 60% of men versus 48% of women (p = 0.008); overall postoperative length of stay was 5.7 days for men versus 6.5 days for women (p = 0.003); morbidity and mortality were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Women undergoing CABG surgery with a standardized fast-track protocol have longer intubation times, intensive care unit length of stay, and hospital length of stay than their male counterparts.     

Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction--early and mid-term outcomes

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is increasing. The aim of the present study was to assess the outcomes of patients with severe LVD undergoing CABG. METHODS: Outcomes of 115 consecutive patients with severe LVD (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]30% (HEF). To further evaluate the LVD patients, they were divided into three subgroups base on LVEF: 0% to 10%, 11% to 20%, and 21% to 30%. Data were collected prospectively and entered into the departmental database of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. RESULTS: Patients in the LVD group had increased incidence of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), peripheral vascular disease, prior myocardial infarction (MI), congestive heart failure, and less elective procedures compared to the HEF group. Despite this greater risk profile, operative mortality (LVD 2.6% vs. HEF 1.2%, p = 0.19), the incidence of stroke (2.6% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.13), and perioperative MI (0.9% vs. 0.7%) were not statistically different between the groups. The incidence of respiratory (14.8% vs. 1.9%, p < 0.001), renal (5.2% vs. 1.0%, p < 0.001), and vascular (5.2% vs. 0.5%, p < 0.001) complications was significantly higher in the LVD group, resulting in a longer hospital length of stay (8 +/- 8 vs. 6 +/- 4 days, p < 0.0001). In a multivariate analysis, advanced age was as an independent predictor of hospital mortality. Average follow-up in 108 (94%) LVD patients was 36 +/- 22 months (range 2 to 78 months). Twenty-one patients expired during the follow-up, for nine the causes were cardiac-related. Three- and 5-year survival rates were 91 +/- 3% and 76 +/- 6%, respectively. Independent predictors of mid-term mortality in the LVD group by a multivariate analysis included female gender, renal failure, respiratory complications, and grade I/II mitral regurgitation (MR). At the time of follow-up, 72% of LVD patients were in functional class I/II. There were no statistically significant differences in short- and mid-term outcomes among the LVD subgroups. CONCLUSION: CABG in patients with severe LVD can be performed with a low mortality, albeit with higher morbidity and longer length of hospital stay, than patients with LVEF >30%. Low ejection fraction per se was not a predictor of hospital mortality. CABG should be considered a safe and effective therapy for low ejection fraction patients with ischemic heart disease. Mitral valve repair/replacement in the presence of moderate degree of MR should be considered at the time of the initial operation.     

A cost analysis of nonelective coronary artery bypass graft surgery

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that nonelective coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is more costly than elective CABG. The goal of this study was to examine why cost differences exist between patients undergoing nonelective and elective CABG. METHODS: We compared the outcomes and costs of treating 1613 consecutive patients undergoing nonelective (N = 1071) and elective (N = 542) CABG at three U.S. hospitals. Participating centers each used the same cost accounting system to provide patient-level clinical and cost data. Total, direct, and overhead costs were examined as were department-level costs. RESULTS: Compared to elective patients, nonelective patients were of similar age (66.4 years vs 67.0 years, respectively, p = NS), but were more likely to be female (32.7% vs 24.0%, p = 0.0003). Nonelective patients had longer lengths of stay (LOS) than elective patients (9.7 +/- 0.2 days vs 6.6 +/- 0.3 days, p < 0.0001). The longer LOS among nonelective patients was primarily due to a longer preoperative LOS (2.6 +/- 0.08 days vs 0.4 +/- 0.05 days). Unadjusted in-hospital costs of treatment were 38% higher among nonelective patients ($25,111 +/-$550 vs $18,445 +/-$752, p < 0.0001). After controlling for baseline demographic and clinical differences, the increase in cost among nonelective patients was reduced to 33% (cost ratio = 1.33, 95% confidence interval = 1.27 to 1.39, p < 0.0001). The difference in cost among nonelective patients was further reduced to 16% after controlling for rates of preoperative angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), 14% after adjusting for the use of a pacemaker or a balloon pump, and 7% after adjusting for preoperative LOS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing nonelective CABG have longer LOS and higher costs than patients undergoing elective CABG. The increased cost among nonelective patients is largely due to differences in rates of preoperative LOS, angiography, and PCI. This differential reflects increased nonsurgical costs among patients undergoing nonelective CABG rather than surgical costs.     

Resource utilization in on- and off-pump coronary artery surgery: factors influencing postoperative length of stay--an experience of 1,746 consecutive patients undergoing fast-track cardiac anesthesia

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present investigation was to examine factors influencing resource utilization in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft and off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) graft surgery at a major university hospital. The resources examined were time to extubation, packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion, intensive care length of stay (ICULOS), preoperative and postoperative length of stay (PLOS), and total length of stay (LOS). DESIGN: Observational study of consecutive patients undergoing on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. SETTING: Tertiary care cardiac referral center. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand seven hundred forty-six consecutive male and female patients undergoing primary coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery over a period of 3 years (1999-2001). Eight hundred eighty-one patients underwent CABG with pump, and 865 patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The mean time to extubation after surgery was 7.4 hours for on-pump patients and 5.8 hours for the OPCAB group (p72 hours to postoperative tracheal extubation compared with 1.5% in the OPCAB group (p=0.041). Hospital mortality was 2.7% for the on-pump group and 1.0% for the OPCAB group (p=0.010). CONCLUSION: The authors found that patients undergoing on-pump CABG have significantly longer time to tracheal extubation, increased blood use, longer ICULOS, PLOS, and total LOS and higher in-hospital mortality, which would translate into significant differences in the expenses associated with these 2 surgical approaches to coronary surgery.     

Worsening severity of vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased length of stay, surgical intensive care unit cost, and mortality rate in surgical intensive care unit patients

Background>Vitamin D deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States. It is seldom measured or recognized, and rarely is treated, particularly in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and impact of vitamin D deficiency in surgical intensive care unit patients. We hypothesized that severe vitamin D deficiency increases the length of stay, mortality rate, and cost in critically ill patients admitted to surgical intensive care units.MethodsWe performed a prospective observational study of vitamin D status on 258 consecutive patients admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Grady Memorial Hospital between August 2009 and January 2010. Vitamin D levels (25 [OH]2 vitamin-D3) were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as follows: severe deficiency was categorized as less than 13 ng/mL; moderate deficiency was categorized as 14 to 26 ng/mL; mild deficiency was categorized as 27 to 39 ng/mL; and normal levels were categorized as greater than 40 ng/mL.ResultsOf the 258 patients evaluated, 70.2% (181) were men, and 29.8% (77) were women; 57.6% (148) were African American and 32.4% (109) were Caucasian. A total of 138 (53.5%) patients had severe vitamin D deficiency, 96 (37.2%) had moderate deficiency, 18 (7.0%) had mild deficiency, and 3 (1.2%) of the patients had normal vitamin D levels. The mean length of stay in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit for the severe vitamin D–deficient group was 13.33 ± 19.5 days versus 7.29 ± 15.3 days and 5.17 ± 6.5 days for the moderate and mild vitamin D-deficient groups, respectively, which was clinically significant (P = .002). The mean treatment cost during the patient stay in the surgical intensive care unit was $51,413.33 ± $75,123.00 for the severe vitamin D–deficient group, $28,123.65 ± $59,752.00 for the moderate group, and $20,414.11 ± $25,714.30 for the mild vitamin D–deficient group, which also was clinically significant (P = .027). More importantly, the mortality rate for the severe vitamin D–deficient group was 17 (12.3%) versus 11 (11.5%) in the moderate group (P = .125). Because no deaths occurred in the mildly or normal vitamin D–deficient groups, we compared the mortality rate between severe/moderate and mild/normal vitamin D groups (P = .047).ConclusionsIn univariate analysis, severe and moderate vitamin D deficiency was related inversely to the length of stay in the surgical intensive care unit (r = .194; P = .001), related inversely to surgical intensive care unit treatment cost (r = .194; P = .001) and mortality (r = .125; P = .023), compared with the mild vitamin D–deficient group, after adjusting for age, sex, race, and comorbidities (myocardial infarctions, acute renal failure, and pneumonia); the length of stay, surgical intensive care unit cost, and mortality remained significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency.     

Circadian rhythm has no effect on mortality in coronary artery bypass surgery

BACKGROUND: The circadian variation that affects atherosclerosis has not been studied in the surgical patient. The circadian variation in mortality dependent on the time of surgery was examined in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: A 4-year retrospective review of all CABG patients (n = 3140) from 1999 to 2002 was undertaken. The patients were divided into elective, urgent, and emergency cases. The cases were subdivided according to the start time of the operation as morning (7 AM to 2 PM = AM), afternoon (2 PM to 8 PM = AF), and night (8 PM to 7 AM = NT). The outcome was mortality within 30 days and compared for three different time frames: (1) AM versus AF (2) AM versus NT (3) AF versus NT for each prioritized group. Risk factors and number of anastamoses were compared for each group. Sigma Statistical package and Z-test for two group comparison were used for analysis. t-Test was used to compare age and ejection fraction. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in mortality was observed for the elective and urgent groups for each of the time periods compared. The emergency cases had significantly increased deaths in the AM and NT compared to the AF (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference with respect to age, gender, number of anastamoses performed, ejection fraction, and preoperative risk factors between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality for nonemergent CABG is independent of the timing of surgery. Circadian variation does not influence the outcome in cardiac surgical patients.     

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is accepted as a "gold standard" for treating most gallbladder diseases because it is superior to the open method, causes less postoperative pulmonary dysfunction, and promotes earlier postoperative recovery. The laparoscopically associated adverse effects of a carbon dioxide (CO(2)) pneumoperitoneum, however, such as hypercarbia and arterial acidosis, are more pronounced in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The clinical results of LC for patients with COPD are analyzed in this study. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with COPD (group 1) and undergoing LC were compared with 25 control patients without COPD and also undergoing LC (group 2). Patient demographics, intraoperative end-tidal CO(2) (both before and after CO(2) insufflation), and clinical outcome, including surgical duration, length of postoperative hospital stay, and any associated complications, were analyzed. RESULTS: The procedure of one group 1 patient was converted to the open method, and this patient was excluded from the study. Comprising the COPD group were 20 patients with mild COPD and one patient with moderate COPD. With similar settings of tidal volume and ventilation rate for the two groups, the measured end-tidal CO(2) value was significantly greater for group 1 than for group 2 patients after the creation of a CO(2) pneumoperitoneum (34.2 +/- 2.7 vs. 30.7 +/- 3.6 mm Hg; P =.012). The duration of surgery was similar for groups 1 and 2 (88.9 +/- 36.0 vs. 83.2 +/- 38.3 minutes), as was the duration of the postoperative hospital stay (3.3 +/- 1.6 vs. 3.4 +/- 2.2 days). No pulmonary complications were noted for any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: LC can be safely performed in COPD patients with mild or even a moderate degree of airway obstruction. Intraoperative CO(2) retention did not complicate the postoperative recovery in terms of the complication rate or the duration of the postoperative hospital stay.     

Gender differences in diabetic patients following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine the influence of gender in diabetic patients following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: A study from an 11-year hospitalization cohort with prospective data collection was conducted. Included in the study were diabetic patients undergoing CABG surgery between October 1993 and May 2004 (n = 2781). Patients who underwent any surgery other than CABG or had a previous cardiac surgery were excluded. The study examined 25 risk factors and 14 outcome variables. RESULTS: Twelve risk factors were found to be significantly different between male and female diabetic patients undergoing CABG. Correlation coefficients were computed among the 12 significant risk factors. Three main risk factors emerged: age 70 years or greater, abnormal LVH, and number of grafts. For outcome variables, females experienced more renal complications, intraoperative complications, longer hospital stay, and mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for age, LVH, and number of grafts, female diabetic patients undergoing CABG were more likely to experience intraoperative complications (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0, p = 0.025) and longer hospital stay (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, p = 0.039). However, there was no significant difference between male and female diabetic patients after CABG surgery with renal complications (OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.95-2.1, p = 0.132) or mortality (OR 1.6, 95% CI 0.85-2.8, p = 0.153). CONCLUSION: Female diabetic patients, when compared to male diabetic patients undergoing CABG, have significantly more intraoperative complications and longer hospital stays following surgery.     

丙泊酚麻醉三低状态对瓣膜置换术患者30天死亡风险的影响

目的 拟确立影响瓣膜置换患者术后30 d病死率的丙泊酚麻醉三低[低BIS、低MAP和低效应室靶控浓度(target effect-site concentration,Ce)]阈值. 方法 161例择期拟行单纯瓣膜置换术的成年风湿性心脏病患者,BIS监测下行丙泊酚效应室靶控麻醉,术后随访30 d,根据预后不同将患者分为存活组(155例)和死亡组(6例),建立单因素和多因素回归模型分析风险因素. 结果 BIS＜45、MAP＜65 mmHg(1mrmHg=0.133 kPa)、Ce＜1.5 mg/L的积累时间和三低同时出现的累积时间:死亡组[(278±95)、(153±41)、(125±40)、(58±16) min],较存活组[(163±53)、(65±21)、(63±20)、(21±6) min]均明显延长(P＜0.05).单因素回归模型中:有无吸烟史,术前有无合并症,BIS＜45、MAP＜65 mmHg、Ce＜1.5 mg/L的积累时间和三低同时出现的累积时间,平均手术、麻醉和转机时间及术后ICU驻留时间,均是增加30 d病死率的风险因素(P＜0.05).多因素回归分析显示,三低累积时间和ICU驻留时间仍然是增加术后30 d病死率的危险因素(P＜0.05). 结论 丙泊酚麻醉三低状态(BIS＜45、MAP＜65 mmHg和Ce＜1.5mg/L)和ICU驻留时间是增加瓣膜置换患者术后30 d死亡风险的独立因素.     

七氟醚和异丙酚对冠状动脉旁路移植术患者心肌保护作用比较的Meta分析

目的 采用Meta分析法比较七氟醚和异丙酚对冠状动脉旁路移植术患者心肌的保护作用.方法 通过电子数据库检索比较冠状动脉旁路移植术患者七氟醚和异丙酚心肌保护作用的临床随机对照研究,文献检索至2008年9月.由两位作者分别对研究质量进行评估,并提取有关资料,主要包括患者术前情况、术中情况、体外循环后心脏指数、术后心肌肌钙蛋白Ⅰ水平、机械通气时间、正性肌力药物使用情况、ICU停留时间、住院时间、术后死亡、心肌梗死、心肌缺血和房颤的发生情况,采用RevMan 5.0软件进行Meta分析.结果 共纳入13项前瞻性临床随机对照研究,包括696例患者,其中七氟醚组402例,异丙酚组294例.两组患者术后机械通气时间、正性肌力药物使用率、术后病死率、心肌梗死和房颤的发生率差异无统计学意义(P>0.05).与异丙酚组相比,七氟醚组患者体外循环后心脏指数升高,术后心肌肌钙蛋白Ⅰ水平和心肌缺血发生率降低,ICU停留时间和住院时间缩短(P<0.05).结论 冠状动脉旁路移植术患者七氟醚的心肌保护作用优于异丙酚.