Repeat CABG Effective in Patients With Viable Myocardium
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 05 - Dutch researchers report that repeating coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) improves ejection fraction and symptoms of heart failure in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who still have viable myocardium.
In a study published in the February issue of Heart, Dr. Vittoria Rizzello and colleagues at Erasmus Medical College, Rotterdam, followed 34 ischemic cardiomyopathy patients who underwent initial CABG and 18 similar patients who underwent repeat CABG for management of their disease. All patients had at least 25% viability of the left ventricle.
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and symptoms of heart failure were assessed before and 9 to 12 months after revascularization. Cardiac events were assessed for about 4 years after surgery.
The percentage of viable myocardium was similar in the two groups at follow-up -- 11.3% in patients who had repeat CABG and 12.8% in those who had initial revascularization.
LVEF improved from 32% at baseline to 39% in the repeat group, and from 30% to 36% in the first-time CABG group. New York State Heart Association class improved from 2.5 to 1.9 in the redo-CABG group and from class 2.7 to 1.8 for the first-timers.
Four-year survival was 100% and the cardiac event rate was 28% in the repeat patients, which was not statistically different from rates in initial CABG patients.
Dr. Rizzello's team writes that "LVEF is an important determinant of prognosis (of CABG) and improvement in heart failure symptom is extremely important in terms of quality of life."
The investigators note that patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy are generally reluctant to repeat the experience of revascularization, but the perioperative morbidity and mortality are no worse with "redo CABG" than with the initial procedure.
Heart 2007;93:221-225.
http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/16905627