Long-term survival after use of internal thoracic artery in octogenarians is gender related

Female sex is not a risk factor for post procedural mortality in coronary bypass surgery in the elderly: A secondary analysis of the GOPCABE trial

OBJECTIVE

Female sex is considered a significant risk in cardiac surgery and is included in the majority of scores for risk assessment. However, the evidence is controversial and older women undergoing cardiac surgery have not specifically been investigated. We assessed the influence of female sex on surgical risk (30-day mortality) in a secondary analysis of the GOPCABE trial (German Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass grafting in the Elderly (GOPCABE) trial, comparing on- to off-pump) and also evaluated its impact on risk prediction from commonly used risk scores.

METHODS

We performed logistic regression analyses on the GOPCABE trial population, where patients were randomized to either on- or off-pump CABG. The study was performed in 12 cardiac surgery centers in Germany and analyzed 2394 patients having undergone CABG at age ≥75 years (1187 on-pump, 1207 off-pump). Of the 2394 patients, 755 (32%) were women. The logistic EuroSCORE and the German KCH score were calculated as expected (E) mortality and values were compared to observed (O) 30-day mortality (O/E ratio).

RESULTS

There was no difference in mortality or major cardiovascular adverse events after 30 days between men and women for both on- and off-pump CABG (men: on- vs. off-pump OR = 0.90, 95%-CI: [0.63;1.27]; women: on- vs. off-pump OR = 1.07, 95%-CI: [0.62;1.87]). Therefore, groups were combined for further analyses. Both men and women had considerable and similar comorbidities. Expected mortality was significantly higher for women than for men (logistic EuroSCORE: 8.88±6.71% vs. 7.99±6.69%, p = 0.003; KCH score: 4.42±3.97% vs. 3.57±3.65%, p = 0.001). However, observed mortality rates (O) tended to be even lower in women (2.1% vs. 3.0%). The O/E ratio was closer to 1 in men than in women (0.84 vs. 0.47). Excluding female sex from the risk models increased O/E ratio to 0.69.

CONCLUSIONS

Female sex is not a risk factor in coronary bypass surgery in the GOPCABE population. The result is the same for on- and off-pump surgery. Since female sex is a component of most risk scores, the findings may identify a potential inaccuracy in current surgical risk assessment, specifically for elderly women.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov GOPCABE trial No. NCT00719667.

Outcomes of octogenarians discharged from the hospital after prolonged intensive care unit length of stay after cardiac surgery

OBJECTIVE

Octogenarians offered complex cardiac surgery frequently experience a prolonged intensive care unit length of stay; however, minimal data exist on the outcomes of these patients. We sought to determine the rates and predictors of 1-year noninstitutionalized survival ("functional survival") and rehospitalization for octogenarian patients with prolonged intensive care unit length of stay after cardiac surgery and who were discharged from hospital.

METHODS

The outcomes of discharged patients aged 80 years or more who underwent cardiac surgery with prolonged intensive care unit length of stay (≥5 consecutive days) from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2011, were examined retrospectively from linked clinical and administrative provincial databases. Regression analysis was used to determine predictors of 1-year functional survival and rehospitalization after discharge from the hospital.

RESULTS

A total of 80 of 683 (11.7%) discharged octogenarian patients had prolonged intensive care unit length of stay. Functional survival at 1 year was 92% and 81% for those with nonprolonged and prolonged intensive care unit lengths of stay, respectively (P < .01). Lack of outpatient physician visits within 30 days of discharge (hazard ratio, 5.18; P < .01) was a significant predictor of poor 1-year functional survival. The 1-year rehospitalization rates were 38% and 48% for those with nonprolonged and prolonged intensive care unit lengths of stay, respectively, with 41% of all rehospitalizations occurring within 30 days of initial discharge. A rural residence (hazard ratio, 1.82; P < .01) and nosocomial pneumonia during patients' operative admissions (hazard ratio, 2.74; P < .01) were associated with rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Octogenarians with prolonged intensive care unit length of stay have acceptable functional survival at 1 year but have high rates of early rehospitalization. Access to health services may influence functional survival and early rehospitalizations. These data suggest that close follow-up of these vulnerable patients after hospital discharge is warranted.

Cardiac surgery as a stressor and the response of the vulnerable older adult

In an aging population, recovery and restoration of function are critical to maintaining independence. Over the past 50years, there have been dramatic improvements made in cardiac surgery processes and outcomes that allow for procedures to be performed on an increasingly older population with the goal of improving function. Although improved function is possible, major surgical procedures are associated with substantial stress, which can severely impact outcomes. Past literature has identified that frail patients, who are vulnerable to the stress of surgery, are more likely to have postoperative major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (OR 4.9, 95% confidence interval 1.6, 14.6). The objective of this manuscript is to examine preoperative frailty in biological, psychological, and social domains using cardiac surgery to induce stress. We systematically searched PubMed for keywords including "cardiac surgery, frailty, and aged" in addition to the biological, psychological, and social keywords. In the biological domain, we examine the association of physiological and physical vulnerabilities, as well as, the impact of comorbidities and inflammation on negative surgical outcomes. In the psychological domain, the impact of cognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety as vulnerabilities were examined. In the social domain, social structure, coping, disparities, and addiction as vulnerabilities are described. Importantly, there is substantial overlap in the domains of vulnerability. While frailty research has largely focused on discrete physical vulnerability criteria, a broader definition of frailty demonstrates that vulnerabilities in biological, psychological, and social domains can limit recovery after the stress of cardiac surgery. Identification of vulnerability in these domains can allow better understanding of the risks of cardiac surgery and tailoring of interventions to improve outcomes.