Myocardial revascularisation in women: evaluation of hospital mortality and morbidity.

BACKGROUND

Although women are reported to be at higher risk for mortality and morbidity after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), there is no consensus in literature.

METHOD: Pre-, peri- and postoperative hospital data of 8578 patients undergoing an isolated myocardial revascularisation from January 1987 to December 2004 were analysed. Of these patients, 2083 (24.3%) were female.

RESULTS

Female patients were significantly older (p=0.001), and risk factors as diabetes (p=0.001), hypertension (p=0.001), hyperlipidaemia (p=0.001) were significantly more prevalent than in men. The incidence of preoperative myocardial infarction (p=0.001) and triple-vessel disease (p=0.001) was lower, but the incidence of unstable angina (NYHA IV) (p=0.001) was significantly higher than in men. Significantly fewer women (p=0.04) received an arterial graft. Postoperatively, there was no significant difference in the registered morbidity, with the exception of a lower incidence of female patients with non-sinus rhythm (p=0.001) and a higher incidence of pulmonary problems (p=0.006). Hospital mortality was not significantly different between the genders: 3.5 vs. 3.4% (p=0.9). A preoperative myocardial infarction was identified as the only independent predictor for hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative profiles of women and men undergoing CABG are dissimilar. However, the incidences of hospital mortality, and morbidity were not statistically different. Female gender was not identified as predictor for death or adverse outcome.