Reoperation for bleeding following coronary artery bypass surgery with special focus on long-term outcomes.

Objectives: We studied the incidence and risk factors of reoperation for bleeding following CABG in a nationwide cohort with focus on long-term complications and survival. Design: A retrospective study on 2060 consecutive, isolated CABG patients operated 2001-2016. Outcome of reoperated patients (n = 130) were compared to non-reoperated ones (n = 1930), including major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and overall survival. Risk factors for reoperation were determined using multivariate logistic regression and a Cox proportional hazards model to assess prognostic factors of long-term survival. Median follow-up was 7.6 years. Results: One hundred thirty patients (6.3%) were reoperated with an annual decrease of 4.1% per year over the study period (p=.04). Major complications (18.5 vs. 9.6%) and 30-day mortality (8.5 vs. 1.9%,) were higher in the reoperation group (p<.001). The use of clopidogrel preoperatively (OR 3.62, 95% CI: 1.90-6.57) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (OR 2.23, 95% CI: 1.25-3.77) were the strongest predictors of reoperation, whereas off-pump surgery was associated with a lower reoperation risk (OR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.85). After exluding patients that died within 30 days postoperatively, no difference in long-term survival or freedom from MACCE was found between groups, and reoperation was not an independent risk factor for long-term mortality in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The reoperation rate in this study was relatively high but decreased significantly over time. Reoperation was associated with twofold increased risk for major complications and fourfold 30-day mortality, but comparable long-term MACCE and survival rates. This implies that if patients survive the first 30 days following reoperation, their long-term outcome is comparable to non-reoperated patients.

Favourable long-term outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting in a nationwide cohort.

OBJECTIVES: In a nationwide cohort, we analyzed long-term outcome following coronary artery bypass grafting, using the combined strategy of left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery and saphenous vein as secondary graft to other coronary targets. METHODS: 1,507 consecutive patients that underwent myocardial revascularization during 2001-2012 in Iceland. Mean follow-up was 6.8 years. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were depicted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox-regression was used to define risk factors. Relative survival was estimated by comparing overall survival to the survival of Icelanders of the same age and gender. RESULTS: Mean age was 66 years, 83% were males, mean EuroSCOREst was 4.5, and 23% of the procedures were performed off-pump. At 5 years, 19.7% had suffered a major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular event, 4.5% a stroke, 2.2% myocardial infarction, and 6.2% needed repeat revascularization. Overall 5-year survival was 89.9%, with a relative survival of 0.990. Independent predictors of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30%, a previous history of percutaneous coronary intervention, chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and old age. The same variables and an earlier year of operation were predictors of long-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcome following myocardial revascularization, using the left internal mammary artery and the great saphenous vein as conduits, is favourable and improving. This is reflected by the 5-year survival of 89.9%, deviating minimally from the survival rate of the general Icelandic population, together with a freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events of 80.3%.

Acute coronary angiography after coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVES: Coronary angiography is the golden standard when myocardial ischemia after CABG occurs. We summarize our experience of acute coronary angiography after CABG. DESIGN: All 4446 patients (mean age 68 ± 9 years, 22% women) who underwent CABG 2007 to 2012 were included in this retrospective observational study. Incidence, indications, findings, measures of acute angiography after CABG was assessed. Outcome variables were compared between patients who underwent angiography and those who did not. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients (2%) underwent acute coronary angiography. Patients undergoing angiography had ECG changes (92%), echocardiographic alterations (48%), hemodynamic instability (28%), angina (15%), and/or arrhythmia (13%). Positive findings were detected in 69% of the cases. Only ECG changes as indication for angiography had a moderate association with positive findings, but the precision increased if other sign(s) of ischemia were present. Thirty-day mortality (7% versus 2%, p = 0.002) was higher and long-term-cumulative survival lower (77% versus 87% at five years, p = 0.043) in angiography patients. CONCLUSIONS: Acute angiography is a rare event after CABG. Postoperative myocardial ischemia leading to acute coronary angiography is associated with increased short-term and long-term mortality.

Is emergency and salvage coronary artery bypass grafting justified? The Nordic Emergency/Salvage coronary artery bypass grafting study.

OBJECTIVES: According to the EuroSCORE-II criteria, patients undergoing emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are operated on before the beginning of the next working day after decision to operate while salvage CABG patients require cardiopulmonary resuscitation en route to the operating theatre. The objective of this multicentre study was to investigate the efficacy of emergency and salvage CABG. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients that underwent emergency or salvage CAGB at four North-European university hospitals from 2006 to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 614 patients; 580 emergency and 34 salvage CABG patients (mean age 67 ± 10 years, 56% males) were included. All patients had an acute coronary syndrome: 234 (38%) had an ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 289 (47%) had a non-STEMI. Haemodynamic instability requiring inotropic drugs and/or intra-aortic balloon pump preoperatively occurred in 87 (14%) and 82 (13%) of the patients, respectively. Three hundred and thirty-one patient (54%) were transferred to the operating room immediately after angiography and 205 (33%) had a failure of an attempted percutaneous coronary intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation within 1 h before the operation was performed in 49 patients (8%), and 9 patients (1%) received cardiac massage during sternotomy. Hospital mortality for emergency and salvage operations was 13 and 41%, respectively. Early complications included reoperation for bleeding (15%), postoperative stroke (6%) and de novo dialysis for acute kidney injury (6%). Overall 5-year survival rate was 79% for emergency operations and 46% for salvage operations. Only one out of 9 patients receiving cardiac massage during sternotomy survived. CONCLUSIONS: Early mortality in patients undergoing emergent and salvage CABG is substantial, especially in salvage patients. Long-term survival is acceptable in both emergent and salvage patients. Life-saving emergency and salvage CABG is justified in most patients but salvage patients have dismal prognosis if cardiac massage is needed during sternotomy.

Tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a population-based study in Iceland.

BACKGROUND: The tall cell variant (TCV) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is an aggressive variant of PTC that is believed to have worse outcomes than classical PTC. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence, survival, and disease recurrence of patients with TCV and compare them with other PTC in a whole population. METHODS: Information on all thyroid carcinomas diagnosed in Iceland from 1990 to 2009 was obtained from the Icelandic Cancer Registry. PTC diagnosed postmortem was excluded. The date of diagnosis, sex, and age at diagnosis were registered. All histopathology material was re-evaluated, and papillary thyroid tumors classified as either TCV or other types of PTC. Tumors were classified as TCV if >50% of cells were tall (height > twice the width). TNM stage was determined for all the cases. Endpoints were thyroid cancer-specific death and thyroid cancer recurrence. RESULTS: Out of 376 patients diagnosed with PTC in the study period, 49 (13%) were classified as TCV. Patients with TCV were older (66 years vs. 49 years, p<0.001), more often had pT4 tumors (71% vs. 15%, p<0.001), had higher rates of nodal metastasis (51% vs. 22%, p<0.001), and more often distant metastasis (14% vs. 2%, p<0.001). The age-adjusted incidence of TCV for men was 0.5/100,000 [confidence interval (CI) 0.3-0.7] and for women 0.7/100,000 [CI 0.4-1.0] between 1990 and 2009. The five-year disease-specific survival for TCV was 83% [CI 68-91] compared to 98% [CI 96-99] for other PTC respectively (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, TCV histology was an independent risk factor for recurrence (hazard ratio (HR) 3.18 [CI 1.48-6.84]) but not for disease specific survival (HR 1.86 [CI 0.77-4.73]). CONCLUSIONS: TCV comprises 13% of all diagnosed PTC in Iceland with an incidence of 0.5/100,000 for men and 0.7/100,000 for women. Patients diagnosed with TCV have worse five-year disease-specific survival than patients with other PTC. TCV histology is an independent risk factor for disease recurrence but not for disease-specific survival.

[Outcome of myocardial revascularisation in patients fifty years old and younger]. / Árangur kransæðahjáveituaðgerða hjá sjúklingum fimmtíu ára og yngri.

INTRODUCTION: Most patients that undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are around 70 years of age when operated on. We investigated the outcome of CABG in patients 50 years and younger, focusing on early complications, operative mortality and long-term survival. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective study on 1626 patients that underwent CABG in Iceland 2001-2012. One hundred patients aged 50 years or younger were compared to 1526 older patients. RESULTS: The male:female ratio, risk factors and extension of coronary artery disease were comparable in both groups, as was the proportion of patients with left main disease. Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in the younger patients (52 vs. 55%, p=0.004) and more of them had a recent myocardial infarction (41 vs. 27%, p=0.003). Minor complications were less common in the younger group (30 vs. 50%, p<0.001), especially new onset atrial fibrillation (14 vs. 35%, p<0,001). Chest tube bleeding for the first 24 hours postoperatively was also less in the younger group (853 vs. 999 ml, p=0.015) and they received fewer units of packed red cells (1.3 vs. 2.8 units, p<0.001). However, the incidence of major complications was comparable (6 vs. 11%, p=0.13) and the same was true for 30 day mortality (1 vs. 3%, p=0.5). Mean hospital stay was 2 days shorter for younger patients (p<0.001). There was a non-significant trend for improved disease-specific survival for the younger patients, or 99% vs. 95% 5-year survival (p=0.07). CONCLUSION: In younger patients undergoing CABG minor complications are less common than in older patients, their hospital stay is shorter and transfusions less common. There was also a trend for improved disease specific survival for the younger patients.

[Early outcome in diabetic patients following coronary artery bypass grafting]. / Snemmkominn árangur kransæðahjáveituaðgerða hjá sjúklingum með sykursýki.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is one of the most important risk factors for coronary artery disease. Diabetics often have severe three vessel disease and coronary bypass surgery is in most cases the preferred treatment of choice in these patients. We investigated early surgical complications and outcomes in diabetic patients following isolated CABG in Iceland and compared them to those of non-diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 1626 consecutive CABG patients operated in Iceland 2001-2012. Diabetic patients were 261 (16%) and were compared to 1365 non-diabetics in terms of patient demographics, operative data, and postoperative outcomes. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for major complications and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The groups were similar in terms of age, gender and Euro-SCORE. Diabetic patients had a higher BMI (30 vs. 28 kg/m(2), p<0.001), were more likely to have hypertension (82% vs. 60%, p<0.01) and glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73m(2) (22% vs. 15%, p=0.01). The rate of deep sternal wound infections, stroke and perioperative myo-cardial infarction was similar in both goups. Acute kidney injury, classified according to the RIFLE-criteria, was higher in diabetic patients, both in the RISK (14% vs. 9%, p=0.02) and FAILURE category (2% vs. 0.5%, p=0.01). Minor complications, (atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and superficial wound infections) were similar in both groups. 30-day mortality was 5.0% vs. 2% for diabetics and non-diabetics patients, respectively (p=0.01). Diabetes was not a significant risk factor for 30-day mortality when adjusted for other risk factors with logistic regression (OR=1.98, 95% CI 0.72-4.95). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients that underwent CABG more often suffered acute renal injury but diabetes was not an independent prognostic factor of operative mortality.

Comparison of 30-day and 5-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged≤50 years (the Coronary aRtery diseAse in younG adultS Study).

Data on the outcome of young patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are scarce. Data on 2,209 consecutive patients aged≤50 years who underwent CABG or PCI were retrospectively collected from 15 European institutions. PCI and CABG had similar 30-day mortality rates (0.8% vs 1.4%, p=0.27), late survival (at 5 years, 97.8% vs 94.9%, p=0.082), and freedom from stroke (at 5 years, 98.0% and 98.0%, p=0.731). PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (at 5 years, 73.9% vs 85.0%, p<0.0001), repeat revascularization (at 5 years, 77.6% vs 92.5%, p<0.0001), and myocardial infarction (at 5 years, 89.9% vs 96.6%, p<0.0001) compared with CABG. These findings were confirmed in propensity score-adjusted and matched analyses. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events after PCI was particularly low in diabetics (at 5 years, 58.0% vs 75.9%, p<0.0001) and in patients with multivessel disease (at 5 years, 63.6% vs 85.1%, p<0.0001). PCI in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction was associated with significantly better 5-year survival (97.5% vs 88.8%, p=0.001), which was driven by its lower 30-day mortality rate (1.5% vs 6.0%, p=0.017). In conclusion, patients aged≤50 years have an excellent immediate outcome after either PCI or CABG with similar long-term survival when used according to the current clinical practice. PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization.

Determinants of outcome after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged ≤50 years (from the Coronary aRtery diseAse in younG adultS study).

This study was planned to identify the determinants of outcome after coronary artery bypass (CABG) in young patients. Data on 592 patients aged ≤50 years who underwent CABG from 9 European institutions were collected retrospectively. Twenty-eight percent of patients received at least 2 arterial grafts. Clopidogrel was used at discharge in 16.2% and statins in 67.2% of patients. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events at 1, 3, and 5 years was 93.8%, 90.1%, and 85.0%; survival rate was 98.3%, 96.3%, and 94.9%; freedom from myocardial infarction was 96.3%, 95.1%, and 92.5%; and freedom from repeat revascularization was 96.3%, 95.1%, and 92.5%, respectively. Neither types of grafts nor medication at discharge had any impact on the late outcome. Age <40 years (relative risk [RR] 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 to 4.11), diabetes (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.88), estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (RR 2.44, 95% CI 1.26 to 4.72), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction/ST-elevation myocardial infarction (RR 2.12, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.55), emergency procedure (RR 2.34, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.88), and left ventricular ejection fraction <30% (RR 3.18, 95% CI 1.41 to 7.16) were independent predictors of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <30% had a particularly poor survival rate (at 5 years 67.7% vs 96.1%; adjusted analysis RR 14.01, 95% CI 5.16 to 38.03). Poor left ventricular function, myocardial infarction, diabetes, renal failure, and age <40 years are major determinants of late outcome after CABG in young patients. In conclusion, data from this real-world registry indicate that multiple arterial grafts and statin treatment are largely underutilized in these patients.

The epidemiology and natural history of primary biliary cirrhosis: a nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Very few population-based studies exist on the epidemiology of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and none have been conducted in the last decade. We aimed to determine the epidemiology and prognosis of PBC over the past two decades. METHODS: Patients were identified by multiple case finding strategies, covering the total population of Iceland. A search was conducted in the centralized database of antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) measurements and computerized diagnosis and pathological registries. All AMA measurements taken in Iceland between 1991 and 2010 were analyzed. Relevant clinical information was gathered from medical records, pathology reports, and death certificates. Incidence was compared between two periods, 1991-2000 versus 2001-2010. RESULTS: A total of 168 patients were identified, of which 138 were female (82%), with a median age 62 years (range 13-92). Prevalence at the end of the study period was 38.3 cases per 100 000 person-years. Age-standardized incidence for female patients during the first period was 3.4 versus 4.1 during the second (NS) and that for male patients was 0.6 during the first period versus 1.0 per 100 000 during the second (NS). Overall incidence in the first period was 2.0 and that in the second was 2.5 per 100 000 (NS). Stage III-IV liver fibrosis was present in 28% of patients at diagnosis with no significant differences between the two decades. Median survival after diagnosis was 15 years. Five patients underwent liver transplantation. CONCLUSION: The incidence and prevalence figures of PBC in Iceland are among the highest reported and have been stable over the last two decades. The prognosis of patients in this population-based cohort is better than that previously reported.