title: Effect of female gender on the outcome of coronary artery bypass surgery for left main coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting is generally higher in women than in men. This study analyzes the effect of female gender on early mortality of coronary artery bypass grafting particularly for left main coronary artery disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study population consisted of 144 consecutive patients (33 women, 111 men) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting for left main coronary artery disease. Mean follow-up was 25.1 +/- 14.0 months. Data were collected retrospectively and presented as mean +/- standard deviation. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier actuarial curve method with the log rank univariate test, followed by Cox's proportional rate multivariate model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall mortality was 7% in the patient population. Cox regression analysis revealed that the independent predictors of increased total mortality were female gender (HR 8.34, 95% CI 1.79 - 38.76, p=0.007), advanced age (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.23, p=0.014), degree of left main coronary artery stenosis (HR 1.068, 95%CI 1.005-1.135, p=0.03), and left ventricular ejection fraction (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.99, p=0.03). Female gender was found to be the only independent predictor of increased early mortality (HR 13.18, 95%CI 1.444-120.343, p=0.02). After discharge from the hospital, female gender was no more a predictor of increased mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to these data, we may assume that female gender is related with increased mortality in coronary artery surgery for left main disease in the pre-discharge period however after discharge from hospital, long-term benefit of female survivors of coronary artery bypass grafting operated on for left main coronary artery disease might be as good as in men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Başkent University, Ankara, Adana, Turkey. mtuna89@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M Tuna
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Katircibaşi
authors.forename: H Tolga
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Koçum
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baltali
authors.forename: Tansel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erol
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tekin
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yiğit
authors.forename: Göknur
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tekin
authors.forename: H Tarik
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kiziltan
authors.forename: Haldun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müderrisoğlu
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000401:mortality*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology