ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The association of age with the outcomes of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITAs) versus single internal thoracic arteries (SITAs) for coronary bypass grafting (CABG) remains to be determined. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between age and BITA versus SITA outcomes in the Arterial Revascularization Trial. METHODS: The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality and a composite of major adverse events, including all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Secondary endpoints were bleeding complications and sternal wound complications up to 6 months after surgery. Multivariable fractional polynomials analysis and log-rank tests were used. RESULTS: Age did not affect any of the explored outcomes in the overall BITA versus SITA comparison in the intention-to-treat analysis and in the analysis based on the number of arterial grafts received. However, when the intention-to-treat analysis was restricted to the populations of patients between age 50 and 70 years, younger patients in the BITA arm had a significantly lower incidence of major adverse events (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that BITA may improve long-term outcome in younger patients, although more randomized data are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
