The impact of incomplete revascularization and angiographic patency on midterm results after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

Objectives: Higher rates of incomplete revascularization (IR) and reduced patency are possible drawbacks of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB); both may adversely affect outcome after surgery. This study was conducted to shed light on the relationships among IR, angiographic patency, and midterm results after OPCAB surgery. Methods: A total of 1604 consecutive patients underwent OPCAB during a 6-year period; 1581 patients (95%) underwent systematic postoperative angiography. Complete follow-up was achieved in 99.5% (median, 3.2 years; up to 6.5 years). A total of 216 patients had IR (13%), and 225 had at least 1 graft failure (FitzGibbon B or O). Results: All the event-free survival rates for all-cause mortality (P <.001), cardiac death (P =.020), and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (P <.001) were lower in the IR group. By using the Cox proportional hazards model, IR was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-2.81). Of those who underwent postoperative angiography, the patients with graft failure experienced reintervention more frequently than those with all grafts patent (HR, 5.49; 95% CI, 3.43-8.77). Even with excluding patients who had undergone reintervention immediately after angiography, graft failure was still an independent risk factor for reintervention afterwards (HR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.30-4.47). Conclusions: Incomplete revascularization was relevant to higher midterm mortality after OPCAB, whereas the risk of reintervention was higher for patients with occluded grafts. Complete revascularization, coupled with achievement of a higher patency rate, could be expected to improve follow-up outcomes after OPCAB surgery.