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Background: An increasing proportion of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting are diabetics who are known to carry a higher mortality and morbidity in association with operation, but data on whether health-related quality of life improves similarly after coronary artery bypass grafting in diabetic and nondiabetic patients are limited. We assessed in detail changes in health-related quality of life (RAND-36 Health Survey) during the first year after coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: Seventy-four of the 508 patients (14.6%) operated on in a single institution had a history of diabetes and were compared to nondiabetics. The RAND-36 Health Survey was used as an indicator of quality of life. Assessments were made preoperatively and repeated 12 months later. Results: Thirty-day mortality was 2.7% versus 1.6% (p = 0.511) and one-year survival was 94.6% versus 97.0% (p = 0.287) in the diabetics and nondiabetics, respectively. Diabetics improved significantly (p < 0.005) in seven, nondiabetics (p < 0.001) in all eight RAND-36 dimensions. Physical component summary and mental component summary scores on the RAND-36 improved significantly (p < 0.001) in diabetics as well as in nondiabetics. Both groups experienced closely similar freedom from anginal symptoms at one year (86.2% vs 90.5%, p = 0.280). Conclusions: Although diabetic patients differ from nondiabetics having slightly inferior quality of life before and one year after coronary artery bypass grafting, they gain similar improvement of quality of life in one year after surgery when compared to nondiabetics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This prospective study was Instituted to assess whether the use of the on-pump method or the off-pump method affects changes in health-related quality of life (QOL) as evaluated a year after coronary artery by-pass graft (CABG) surgery. Data including preoperative risk factors and postoperative morbidity up to discharge were collected from 508 CABG patients operated in the Heart Center of a university hospital and further treated in secondary referral hospitals. Four hundred and fifty-two (89.0%) patients underwent operation with the on-pump method and 56 (11.0%) with the off-pump method, i.e., without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The RAND-36 Health Survey (RAND-36) was used as indicator of QOL. The primary, outcome measure was a change in the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary, (MCS) from the RAND-36. Symptomatic status was estimated according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Assessments were made preoperatively and repeated 12 months later. The majority of patients operated on-pump (85.6%) and off-pump (92.9%) had a favorable outcome without major complications (p = 0.136). The present data showed significant improvement (p < 0.001) in all eight domains of QOL following on-pump CABS. Likewise, off-pump patients improved in all eight aspects, and the change was statistically significant in six dimensions. A highly significant (p < 0.001) pattern of change was seen in the RAND-36 MCS and PCS scores in both operative groups. Differences between the groups were nonsignificant. We conclude that most patients experience significant improvement in health-related QOL during the first year after CABG, and that cardiopulmonary bypass has no effect on patients' subsequent health-related QOL, but its use depends on specific indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present prospective clinical study was carried out to investigate the effect of age on mortality, morbidity, and readmission rates after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Data on 1131 consecutive CABG patients were collected in a surgical renter and in all 18 secondary referral hospitals up to 3 months alter discharge. Analysis was based on three age groups: 64 years or less (510 patients), 65 to 74 years (448 patients), and 75 years or more (173 patients). Thirty-day mortality rates were 1.6% for the youngest, 5.4% for the middle age group, and 6.9% for the oldest. Major complications occurred in 10.8%, 21.2%, and 24.9% of these patients, respectively. Higher age was associated with more readmissions to health care facilities: The oldest patients had a rate twice as high as those in the youngest group (34.5% vs. 18.6%). Atrial fibrillation (15.4%), chest pain (10.6%), and congestive heart failure (8.5%) were the most common reasons for readmission. In conclusion, elderly patients, who are often suboptimal candidates for CABG, have higher 30-day mortality, higher morbidity, longer length of stay in health care facilities, and an increased risk of readmission within 3 months after CABG; age was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality and postdischarge readmission. Despite the higher risk of adverse events after surgery, three out of four elderly patients recover uneventfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]