The Impact of Common Comorbidities on the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Outcomes and Cost of Care for Post-CABG Surgery Patients

Background: The incidence of coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has increased globally, including in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, the use of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, one of the most valuable solutions, has also increased. Common comorbidities (CMs) such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), peptic ulcer disease, dialysis-dependent renal failure, and obesity have been reported to adversely affect rehabilitation outcomes, increase hospital length of stay (LOS), and increase the cost of care for post-CABG surgery patients. Despite these facts, no previous studies have assessed the effect of comorbidities on Cardiac Rehabilitation outcomes, cost of care, and length of hospital stay in post-CABG surgery patients in the Saudi Population. Objective: To assess the effect of cardiac comorbidities on the outcomes of CR intervention in CABG patients and examine how these comorbidities affect the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, as well as the cost of care. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to follow-up post-CABG patients over two years, from 2020 to 2022. A total of 62 male and female patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the CM size. Group I consisted of patients with (> 4 CMs), whereas Group II consisted of patients with (<3 CMs). Results: Group I had a higher mean score of comorbidities (CMs) at 5.09 ± 2.43, which resulted in longer stays in the ICU at 4.34 + 2.24 and in the hospital at 9.16 + 4.63 compared to Group II at 3.43 ± 1.48 and 7.2 ± 1.47, respectively. Group II had higher total cost of care. Conclusions: This study found that patients with multiple comorbidities such as DM, HTN, and dyslipidemia had longer hospital and ICU stays and higher care costs.