Drug therapy before coronary artery surgery: nitrates are independent predictors of mortality and beta-adrenergic blockers predict survival.
We conducted this study to evaluate whether there is an association between preoperative drug therapy and in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery graft surgery. We collected data on 1593 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery surgery. The relative risk of in-hospital mortality was determined by logistic regression with in-hospital mortality as the dependent variable, and independent variables that included known risk factors and preoperative cardioactive or antithrombotic drug treatment, i.e., age; left ventricular function; left main coronary artery disease; urgent priority; gender; previous cardiac surgery; concurrent cardiovascular surgery; chronic lung disease; creatinine concentration; hemoglobin concentration; diabetes; hypertension; cerebrovascular disease; recent myocardial infarction; prior vascular surgery; number of arteries bypassed; and regular daily treatment with beta-blockers, aspirin within 5 days, calcium antagonists, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, digoxin, or warfarin. In-hospital mortality was 3.3%. The relative risk of in-hospital mortality (with 95% confidence intervals of the relative risk) associated with the following drug treatments was: nitrates 3.8 (1.5-9.6), beta-blockers 0.4 (0.2-0.8), aspirin within 5 days 1.0 (0.5-1.9), calcium antagonists 1.1 (0.6-2.1), ACE inhibitors 0.8 (0.4-1.5), digoxin 0.7 (0.2-1.8), and warfarin 0.3 (0.1-1.6). We conclude that in-hospital mortality is positively associated with preoperative nitrate therapy and negatively associated with beta-adrenergic blocker therapy. A significant association between in-hospital mortality and the preoperative use of calcium antagonists, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, digoxin, and warfarin was not confirmed.


CONCLUSIONS
We examined the association between common drug treatments for ischemic heart disease and short-term survival after cardiac surgery using a statistical method to adjust for patients' preoperative medical condition. Death after surgery was more likely after nitrate therapy and less likely after beta-blocker therapy.
Weightman
W M
WM
Department of Anaesthesia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia.
Gibbs
N M
NM
Sheminant
M R
MR
Whitford
E G
EG
Mahon
B D
BD
Newman
M A
MA
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D002908:Chronic Disease; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005544:Forecasting; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D016015:Logistic Models; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D009566:Nitrates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012086:Reoperation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use