Spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity after coronary artery bypass graft surgery as a function of gender and age

The effects of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery on spontaneous baroreflex (SBR) sensitivity and heart rate variability were examined in 11 women and 23 men preoperatively and 5 days postoperatively. Electrocardiograph R-R interval and beat-by-beat arterial blood pressure data were collected continuously for 20 min in the supine and standing postures. Coarse graining spectral analysis was performed on the heart rate variability data. Spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity declined after surgery with a differential influence of gender. Men showed a decrease in SBR slope following surgery, with a greater decrease in the standing posture; the parasympathetic (PNS) indicator was lower postoperatively and in the standing posture; the reduction in low-frequency (LF) power was greater for the younger men. In women, the PNS indicator was lower in the standing posture. Both men and women showed a decrease in high-frequency power following CABG surgery, which decreased the sensitivity of the short-term cardiac control mechanisms that modulate heart rate, with the greater effects occurring in men. The reduction in SBR sensitivity indicates that the ability of the cardiovascular system to respond rapidly to changing stimuli was compromised. The decline in the PNS indicator implies that patients were vulnerable to the risks of myocardial ischemia, sympathetically mediated cardiac dysrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death.