Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting versus optimal medical therapy alone: effectiveness of incomplete revascularization in high risk patients

[Results of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients of different age groups]

BACKGROUND

Myocardial revascularization involves a wide range of invasive strategies aimed at treating ischaemic heart disease in patients of different age groups.

AIM

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients depending on age.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 905 patients enrolled in our study were subdivided into groups based on age-related characteristics (young age, middle age, old age, senile age). The endpoints of follow up were as follows: myocardial infarction, acute impairment of cerebral circulation, death and haemorrhagic complications.

RESULTS

It should be mentioned that the groups were comparable by the majority of the parameters studied. No statistically significant differences in the frequency of the development of complications in the postoperative period were observed. However, amongst patients over 75 years old, revision of the mediastinum for haemorrhage was performed more often.

DISCUSSION

Patients of different age groups undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting are extremely heterogeneous by the clinical, anamnestic, instrumental and intraoperative characteristics. A high frequency of haemorrhagic complications amongst patients over 75 years old may be explained by a more aggressive approach to the regimens of anticoagulant/antiaggregant therapy resulting form the presence of atrial fibrillation. In its turn, this fact determines the probability of a high frequency of the development of adverse cardiovascular events. An individual approach to the choice and scope of the strategy of revascularization in patients of different age groups is the fundamental principle for an optimal outcome of coronary surgery.

CONCLUSION

The obtained findings and analysis of the statistical data are indicative of the necessity of personified selection of the technique of a surgical intervention for each particular patient, which will make it possible to decrease the rate of adverse cardiovascular events in the postoperative period.

Single-territory incomplete surgical revascularization improves regional wall motion of remote ventricular areas: results from a propensity-matched study

OBJECTIVE

Basic science studies demonstrated a general intramyocardial angiogenetic response potentially responsible for the creation of a microvascular neocapillaries network assisting myocardial function. We hypothesized that the benefit provided by the reperfusion of left anterior descending (LAD) territories and the biological angiogenetic drive triggered by the revascularization could translate in a global improvement in ventricular contractility, not restricted to the grafted area.

METHODS

High-risk patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and preoperative wall motion abnormalities were retrospectively analyzed to compare outcomes and regional ventricular function of those who received optimal medical therapy (OMT) versus those who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) and received an incomplete myocardial revascularization using left internal mammary artery (LIMA) on LAD (OPCABG group). From January 2007 to December 2014, 206 patients (OMT, n = 136, OPCABG, n = 70) were propensity-score matched to have 70 matched pairs. Variables included in propensity score analyses were ejection fraction (EF), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDVi), EuroSCORE II. Primary endpoint was the variation in the global wall motion score index (ΔWMSI) as evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Follow up was completed at 3 years from surgery or hospital discharge.

RESULTS

Regional analysis of ventricular function revealed a regional WMSI improvement in the OPCABG group not only for LAD territories but also for non-LAD regions, associated with a reduction in the negative left ventricular ischemic remodeling, compared to patients discharged in optimal medical therapy. Global ΔWMSI was negative in OPCABG group (-3.4 ± 2.8%) and positive in the OMT group (5.9 ± 3.1%), indicating a better wall motion score for OPCAB patients. Surprisingly, regional WMSI improved also in non-grafted territories in the off-pump CABG group with a delta value of -3.7 ± 5.3% for left circumflex artery (LCX) area and -3.5 ± 5.4% for right coronary artery (RCA) area.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, LIMA-to-LAD grafting is associated with an improvement in the WMSI involving also the surrounding non-LAD ungrafted segments and with the attenuation of negative global and regional ischemic ventricular remodeling.