title: Outcomes in off-pump vs. on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting stratified by pre-operative risk profile: an assessment using propensity score.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the benefit of off-pump coronary surgery stratified by the pre-operative risk profile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prospective and multicentric cohort study. All consecutive patients undergoing a first coronary bypass procedure between November 2001 and November 2003 were potentially eligible. Pre-operative EuroSCORE and in-hospital outcomes were prospectively collected using strictly standardized criteria. To ensure optimal adjustment, a propensity score was constructed using clinically relevant variables and incorporating individual centres. Of 1602 patients who underwent a first coronary bypass, EuroSCORE could be calculated in 1585: 787 were of moderate/high pre-operative risk profile (EuroSCORE > 3), of which 347 underwent off-pump procedures, and 798 were of low pre-operative risk profile (EuroSCORE < or = 3), of which 349 underwent off-pump procedures. After risk adjusting for propensity score, off-pump patients had less major events (post-operative death, myocardial infarction, and need for reoperation). This benefit was higher in the low-risk stratum (OR ranged between 0.27 and 0.4; P = 0.02-0.07) than in the high-risk stratum (OR between 0.4 and 0.7; P, not significant).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In real-life conditions, off-pump coronary surgery may be more effective than on-pump surgery. In contrast with previous reports, our results suggest that this benefit may be higher in patients with low pre-operative risk.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Unit, Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Paseo Vall d'Hebron 119-129, Barcelona 08035, Spain.
authors.forename: Ignacio J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Ferreira-González
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribera
authors.forename: Purificación
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cascant
authors.forename: Gaietá
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Permanyer-Miralda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome