Peripheral Vascular Disease and Outcomes Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

HYPOTHESIS: There is an increased operative risk in patients with a history of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). There are also outcome differences associated with these patients. DESIGN: A study from a 10-year hospitalization cohort with prospective data collection. SETTING: Multiple hospitals in the Greater Cincinnati area with 1 surgical group of cardiac surgeons. PARTICIPANTS: Cases were CABG patients with PVD, which was defined as having a history of type 1 neurologic injury, prior vascular surgery, or current vascular disease (n = 1561). Controls were CABG patients without PVD (n = 6328). INTERVENTIONS: The study examined 42 potential confounding risk factors and 16 outcome variables. RESULTS: Twenty-nine potential risk factors were found to be significantly different between CABG patients with and without PVD. Twenty-six confounding risk factors were correlated with 3 factors. Logistic regression analysis showed that even after controlling for sex, significant associative disorders, and other procedures, CABG patients with PVD still experienced more arrhythmias requiring treatment (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.33; P = .01), neurological complications (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.43-2.07; P<.001), pulmonary complications (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.23-1.62; P<.001), low output (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.09-1.45; P = .001), and intraoperative complications (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.06-1.83; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a PVD history undergoing CABG had more coexistent risk factors. These patients also exhibited higher rates of cardiac, systemic, renal, neurologic, and pulmonary complications.