The effect of patient sex on survival in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass surgery receiving a radial artery

Coronary artery bypass with single versus multiple arterial grafts in women: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The study objective was to investigate the impact of multiple arterial grafting on long-term all-cause mortality in women undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was performed to identify observational studies reporting outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting reported by sex and stratified into multiple arterial grafting versus single arterial grafting strategies. Articles were considered for inclusion if they were written in English and were propensity-matched observational studies. Included studies were then pooled in a meta-analysis performed using the generic inverse variance method. The primary outcome was long-term all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were operative mortality and spontaneous myocardial infarction. Meta-regression was used to explore the effects of preoperative and intraoperative variables on the primary outcome.

RESULTS

A total of 6 studies with 32,793 women (25,714 single arterial grafting and 7079 multiple arterial grafting) were included. Women who received multiple arterial grafting had lower long-term mortality (incidence rate ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.96; P = .007) and spontaneous myocardial infarction (incidence rate ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.93; P = .003) compared with women who received single arterial grafting, but the difference in mortality disappeared when including only the 3 largest studies. There was no difference between groups in operative mortality (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-1.17; P = .91). Meta-regression did not identify any associations with the incidence rate ratio for long-term mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of multiple arterial grafting in women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting is associated with lower long-term mortality, although the difference is mostly driven by small series. Further studies, including randomized trials, are needed to evaluate the efficacy of multiple arterial grafting in women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Differences in long-term survival outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting using single vs multiple arterial grafts: a meta-analysis with reconstructed time-to-event data and subgroup analyses

OBJECTIVE

We reviewed the available literature on patients with coronary artery disease undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with either single (SAG) or multiple arterial grafting (MAG).

METHODS

Original research studies that evaluated the long-term survival of MAG versus SAG were identified, from 1995 to 2022. The median overall survival (OS) and event-free OS were the primary endpoints. Comparison of median OS between the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) and radial artery (RA) as a second arterial conduit was the secondary endpoint. Subgroup analyses were performed regarding patients older than 70 years, with diabetes mellitus, and females. A sensitivity analysis was performed with the leave-one-out method.

RESULTS

Forty-four studies were included in the qualitative and thirty-nine in the quantitative synthesis. After pooling data from 180 to 459 patients, the MAG group demonstrated a higher OS (HR, 0.589; 95% CI, 0.58-0.60; p < 0.0001) and event-free OS compared with the SAG group (HR, 0.828; 95% CI, 0.80-0.86; p < 0.0001). In addition, RITA was associated with superior OS compared with RA as a second arterial conduit (HR, 0.936; 95% CI, 0.89-0.98; p = 0.009). MAG was also superior to SAG in patients over 70 years, females, and patients with diabetes mellitus. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated a small-size study effect on the female subgroup analysis.

CONCLUSION

The present meta-analysis indicates that MAG is associated with enhanced survival outcomes compared to SAG for patients undergoing isolated CABG.

Sex-Related Outcomes of Medical, Percutaneous, and Surgical Interventions for Coronary Artery Disease: JACC Focus Seminar 3/7

Biological and sociocultural differences between men and women are complex and likely account for most of the variations in the epidemiology and treatment outcomes of coronary artery disease (CAD) between the 2 sexes. Worse outcomes in women have been described following both conservative and invasive treatments of CAD. For example, increased levels of residual platelet reactivity during treatment with antiplatelet drugs, higher rates of adverse cardiovascular outcomes following percutaneous coronary revascularization, and higher operative and long-term mortality after coronary bypass surgery have been reported in women compared with in men. Despite the growing recognition of sex-specific determinants of outcomes, representation of women in clinical studies remains low and sex-specific management strategies are generally not provided in guidelines. This review summarizes the current evidence on sex-related differences in patients with CAD, focusing on the differential outcomes following medical therapy, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass surgery.

Sex differences in outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Previous reports have found females are a higher risk of morbidity and mortality following isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Here, we describe the differences in outcomes following isolated CABG between males and females.

METHODS

Following a systematic literature search, studies reporting sex-related outcomes following isolated CABG were pooled in a meta-analysis performed using the generic inverse variance method. The primary outcome was operative mortality. Secondary outcomes included rates of stroke, repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction, major adverse cardiac events, and late mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed for studies published before and after the year 2000 and for the type of risk adjustment.

RESULTS

Eighty-four studies were included with a total of 903 346 patients. Females were at higher risk for operative mortality (odds ratio: 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.64-1.92, P < 0.001). At subgroup analysis, there was no difference in operative or late mortality between studies published prior and after 2000 or between studies using risk adjustment. Females were at a higher risk of late mortality (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06-1.26, P < 0.001), major adverse cardiac events (IRR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.19-1.66, P < 0.001), myocardial infarction (IRR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13-1.45, P < 0.001) and stroke (IRR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.51, P > 0.001) but not repeat revascularization (IRR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.76-1.29, P = 0.95). The use of the off-pump technique or multiple arterial grafts was not associated with the primary outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Females undergoing CABG are at higher risk for operative and late mortality as well as postoperative events including major adverse cardiac events, myocardial infarction and stroke.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42020187556.

Differences in Long-term Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Using Single vs Multiple Arterial Grafts and the Association With Sex

Importance

Sex-related differences in the outcome of using multiple arterial grafts during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain uncertain.

Objective

To compare the outcomes of the use of multiple arterial grafts vs a single arterial graft during CABG for women and men.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This statewide cohort study used data from New York's Cardiac Surgery Reporting System and New York's Vital Statistics file on 63 402 patients undergoing CABG from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2014. Statistical analysis was performed from January 10 to August 20, 2020.

Exposures

Multiple arterial grafting or single arterial grafting.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, repeated revascularization, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (composite of mortality, AMI, and stroke), and major adverse cardiac event (composite of mortality, AMI, or repeated revascularization) were compared among propensity-matched patients and stratified by the risk of long-term mortality.

Results

Of the 63 402 patients (48 155 men [76.0%]; mean [SD] age, 69.9 [10.5] years) in the study, women had worse baseline characteristics than men for most of the explored variables. Propensity matching yielded a total of 9512 male pairs and 1860 female pairs. At 7 years of follow-up, mortality was lower among men who underwent multiple arterial grafting (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.73-0.87) but not women who underwent multiple arterial grafting (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.84-1.15). When stratified by the estimated risk of death, the use of multiple arterial grafts was associated with better survival and a lower rate of a major adverse cardiac event among low-risk, but not high-risk, patients of both sexes, and the risk cutoff was different for men and women.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study suggests that women have a worse preoperative risk profile than men. Multiple arterial grafting is associated with better outcomes among low-risk, but not high-risk, patients, and the risk cutoffs differ between sexes. These data highlight the need for new studies on the outcome of multiple arterial grafts in women.

Outcomes following revascularization with radial artery bypass grafts: Insights from the PREVENT-IV trial

BACKGROUND

The optimal role of radial artery grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine angiographic and clinical outcomes following CABG among patients who received a radial artery graft.

METHODS

Patients in the angiographic cohort of the PREVENT-IV trial were stratified based upon having received a radial artery graft or not during CABG. Baseline characteristics and 1-year angiographic and 5-year clinical outcomes were compared between patients.

RESULTS

Of 1,923 patients in the angiographic cohort of PREVENT-IV, 117 received a radial artery graft. These patients had longer surgical procedures (median 253 vs 228 minutes, P < .001) and had a greater number of grafts placed (P < .0001). Radial artery grafts had a graft-level failure rate of 23.0%, which was similar to vein grafts (25.2%) and higher than left internal mammary artery grafts (8.3%). The hazard of the composite clinical outcome of death, myocardial infarction, or repeat revascularization was similar for both cohorts (adjusted hazard ratio 0.896, 95% CI 0.609-1.319, P = .58). Radial graft failure rates were higher when used to bypass moderately stenotic lesions (<75% stenosis, 37% failure) compared with severely stenotic lesions (≥75% stenosis, 15% failure).

CONCLUSIONS

Radial artery grafts had early failure rates comparable to saphenous vein and higher than left internal mammary artery grafts. Use of a radial graft was not associated with a different rate of death, myocardial infarction, or postoperative revascularization. Despite the significant potential for residual confounding associated with post hoc observational analyses of clinical trial data, these findings suggest that when clinical circumstances permit, the radial artery is an acceptable alternative to saphenous vein and should be used to bypass severely stenotic target vessels.

Sex-related differences in outcomes after coronary artery bypass surgery-A patient-level pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials: rationale and study protocol

INTRODUCTION

The impact of sex on the outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is controversial. The majority of CABG studies are retrospectively collected clinical or registry data, women comprise only a minority, and the reported findings represent the male predominated cohort. This individual patient meta-analysis is aimed at evaluating sex-related differences in outcomes after CABG using high quality data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A systematic literature search will be performed to identify all CABG RCTs (minimum follow-up: 5 years). Detailed specification for the minimum deidentified patient records' data requirements will be provided to RCT primary contact to request their deidentified data for pooling. The pooled analysis will follow the prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses for individual patient data systematic reviews (PRISMA-IPD) recommendations and will compare sex-related outcomes after CABG. The main hypothesis is that outcomes after CABG are worse in women than in men. We will also test whether treatment effects for off-pump and the use of multiple arterial grafts are present within each sex, and also, whether there are differential treatment effects between sexes. The primary endpoint will be a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and repeat revascularization at long-term follow up.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval and participant consent for the study will be obtained locally by each study team if needed. Data will be disseminated and submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals and meetings irrespective of study outcome.

Long-term outcomes of multiple and single arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND

To compare the clinical outcomes between multiple arterial (MA) and single arterial (SA) off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) when applied to left main coronary disease or three-vessel disease.

METHODS

A total of 537 patients with left main coronary disease or three-vessel disease underwent MA OPCAB (n=114) or SA OPCAB (n=423) in our center from January 2006 to December 2008. The propensity score matching (PSM) was used to obtain the risk-adjusted outcome. Both the perioperative and long-term results were analyzed.

RESULTS

The median follow-up time was 117 months (interquartile range, 110 to 128 months). There was no statistical difference in postoperative mortality and the volume of drainage. The intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) of the MA group was shorter than that of the SA group {1 [1-2] vs. 2 [1-3], P=0.001). In the long term, the mortality (5.7% vs. 17.5%, P=0.006), cardiac mortality (1.0% vs. 8.8%, P=0.008), fatal myocardial infarction (MI) rate (0.0% vs. 6.1%, P=0.015) and incidence of readmission for heart failure (19.8% vs. 37.7%, P=0.003) were lower in the MA group than in the SA group. The distributions of NYHA class (P<0.001) and CCS class (P<0.001) were better in the MA group than in the SA group. There was no significant difference in other outcomes. These results were consistent with the K-M curves of freedom from the adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

MA OPCAB was as safe as SA OPCAB, providing better perioperative recovery and better long-term clinical outcomes in the treatment of left main coronary disease or three-vessel disease.

The radial artery in coronary surgery, 2018

It is now 25 years since the radial artery (RA) was reintroduced in coronary surgery. It has evolved into being a significant coronary artery bypass conduit and ranks third in usage after the internal thoracic artery (ITA) and saphenous vein grafts (SVG). Its advantages are that it can be readily and efficiently harvested, is of good length and appropriate size for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, is robust and easy to handle, and remains free of atheroma, and there is minimal wound morbidity. The RA must be used judiciously with attention to spasm prophylaxis because of its muscular wall, and by avoiding competitive flow. Its patency is equivalent to the ITAs when placed to similar coronary territories and under similar conditions (stenosis, size, quality) and RA patencies are always superior to those of SVG in both observational and randomized studies-88-90% versus 50-60% at 10 years, and 80-87% versus 25-40% at 20 years. Its use and excellent patencies result in survival results equivalent to bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafting and always superior to left internal thoracic artery (LITA) +SVG. Typical radial artery multiarterial bypass grafting (RA-MABG) 10-year survivals are 80-90% versus 70-80% for LITA-SVG. In general, for every 100 patients undergoing CABG, 10 more patients will be alive at 10 years post-operatively. The RA also is important in achieving total arterial revascularization, and several reports indicate a further survival advantage for patients having three arterial grafts over two. The RAs are especially useful in diabetic, morbidly obese patients, those with conduit shortage, and leg pathology, and in coronary reoperations. Although the RA has equivalent patencies to the right internal thoracic artery (RITA), it is much more versatile. RAs that have been instrumented by angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention should be avoided. The radial artery has proved to be an excellent arterial conduit, is equivalent to but more versatile than the RITA, and is always superior to SVG. Its use should be part of every coronary surgeon's skill set.

Long term outcomes of radial artery grafting in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery

Single arterial left internal thoracic artery (LITA) based coronary artery bypass surgery (LITA-SABG) has been the principal revascularization strategy for over 25 years across all patient demographics. In line with the current emphasis being placed on personalized medicine, which tailors individual, patient-specific therapy to optimize outcomes, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) techniques have also evolved to achieve enhanced results among specific groups of patients with coronary artery disease. Most notable has been the development of multi-arterial bypass grafting (MABG) techniques, using either the radial artery (RA) or the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) in conjunction with the LITA, as both techniques have been shown to enhance long term survival of CABG patients. This article reviews the latest data on the long-term outcomes of RA-MABG and considers its impact in various sub-cohorts of CABG that are increasingly being treated by cardiac surgeons. The primary aim of this review is to highlight the advantages of RA-MABG over LITA-SABG and thereby potentiate its adoption into clinical practice. Our secondary aim is to summarize the results of RA-MABG in specific CABG sub-cohorts, to more closely align CABG surgery with the emerging consensus that personalized medicine enhances healthcare value.

Optimal management of radial artery grafts in CABG: Patient and target vessel selection and anti-spasm therapy

The current literature on radial artery grafting is reviewed focusing on the optimal deployment of radial artery grafts in coronary artery bypass surgery with specific attention to the selection of patients and target vessels for radial artery grafting.

Associations Between Adding a Radial Artery Graft to Single and Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafts and Outcomes: Insights From the Arterial Revascularization Trial

BACKGROUND

Whether the use of the radial artery (RA) can improve clinical outcomes in coronary artery bypass graft surgery remains unclear. The ART (Arterial Revascularization Trial) was designed to compare survival after bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) over single left internal thoracic artery (SITA). In the ART, a large proportion of patients (≈20%) also received an RA graft instead of a saphenous vein graft (SVG). We aimed to investigate the associations between using the RA instead of an SVG to supplement SITA or BITA grafts and outcomes by performing a post hoc analysis of the ART.

METHODS

Patients enrolled in the ART (n=3102) were classified on the basis of conduits actually received (as treated). The analysis included 2737 patients who received an RA graft (RA group; n=632) or SVG only (SVG group; n=2105) in addition to SITA or BITA grafts. The primary end point was the composite of myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, and repeat revascularization at 5 years. Propensity score matching and stratified Cox regression were used to compare the 2 strategies.

RESULTS

Myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, and repeat revascularization cumulative incidence was 2.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.4), 3.5% (95% CI, 2.1-5.0), and 4.4% (95% CI, 2.8-6.0) in the RA group and 3.4% (95% CI, 2.0-4.8), 4.0% (95% CI, 2.5-5.6), and 7.6% (95% CI, 5.5-9.7) in the SVG group, respectively. The composite end point was significantly lower in the RA group (8.8%; 95% CI, 6.5-11.0) compared with the SVG group (13.6%; 95% CI, 10.8-16.3; P=0.005). This association was present when an RA graft was used to supplement both SITA and BITA grafts (interaction P=0.62).

CONCLUSIONS

This post hoc ART analysis showed that an additional RA was associated with lower risk for midterm major adverse cardiac events when used to supplement SITA or BITA grafts.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: https://www.situ.ox.ac.uk/surgical-trials/art. Unique identifier: ISRCTN46552265.