[Myocardial revascularization in the female sex: increased surgical risk or referral bias?].
During the last fifteen years the increased morbimortality of coronary surgery in women has been widely documented. Traditionally, the increased risk has been attributed to the smaller size of the coronary arteries of female patients. However, there are data in our series and in various others that lead to suspicion that there might exist a referral bias, which causes women to be referred to a surgeon at a more advanced age and in a worse clinical condition than men. This bias, if it is present, could contribute to the worse results obtained in coronary artery bypass surgery in women. The only way to determine if this is valid is by applying similar criteria of management to both sexes. Only in this way will it be possible to ascertain if the high morbimortality of myocardial revascularization surgery in women is due to factors that are related to the gender itself or to referral bias stated above.
González Eguaras
M
M
Servicio de Cirugía Cardiovascular, Hospital Regional Infanta Cristina, Badajoz.
D000367:Age Factors; D015982:Bias; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors