Coronary revascularization induces a shift from cardiac toward noncardiac mortality without improving survival in vascular surgery patients

• Published in: Journal of vascular surgery Vol. 61; no. 6; pp. 1543 - 1549.e1
• Main Authors: Ultee, Klaas H.J, Rouwet, Ellen V., MD, PhD, Hoeks, Sanne E., PhD, van Lier, Felix, MD, PhD, Bastos Gonçalves, Frederico, MD, Boersma, Eric, PhD, Stolker, Robert Jan, MD, PhD, Verhagen, Hence J.M., MD, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Aged; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - complications; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - diagnosis; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - mortality; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal - surgery; Carotid Stenosis - complications; Carotid Stenosis - diagnosis; Carotid Stenosis - mortality; Carotid Stenosis - surgery; Cause of Death; Chi-Square Distribution; Coronary Artery Bypass - adverse effects; Coronary Artery Bypass - mortality; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Life Expectancy; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Myocardial Ischemia - complications; Myocardial Ischemia - diagnosis; Myocardial Ischemia - mortality; Myocardial Ischemia - therapy; Netherlands; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention - adverse effects; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention - mortality; Peripheral Arterial Disease - complications; Peripheral Arterial Disease - diagnosis; Peripheral Arterial Disease - mortality; Peripheral Arterial Disease - surgery; Postoperative Complications - mortality; Proportional Hazards Models; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Surgery; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Surgical Procedures - adverse effects; Vascular Surgical Procedures - mortality; Netherlands
• ISSN: 0741-5214; 1097-6809
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2015.01.033

Objective Although evidence has shown that ischemic heart disease (IHD) in vascular surgery patients has a negative impact on the prognosis after surgery, it is unclear whether directed treatment of IHD may influence cause-specific and overall mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic implication of coronary revascularization (CR) on overall and cause-specific mortality in vascular surgery patients. Methods Patients undergoing surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid artery stenosis, or peripheral artery disease in a university hospital in The Netherlands between January 2003 and December 2011 were retrospectively included. Survival estimates were obtained by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Results A total of 1104 patients were included. Adjusted survival analyses showed that IHD significantly increased the risk of overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.87) and cardiovascular death (HR, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.76). Compared with those without CR, patients previously undergoing CR had similar overall mortality (HR, 1.38 vs 1.62; P  = .274) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.83 vs 2.02; P  = .656). Nonrevascularized IHD patients were more likely to die of IHD (6.9% vs 35.7%), whereas revascularized IHD patients more frequently died of cardiovascular causes unrelated to IHD (39.1% vs 64.3%; P  = .018). Conclusions This study confirms the significance of IHD for postoperative survival of vascular surgery patients. CR was associated with lower IHD-related death rates. However, it failed to provide an overall survival benefit because of an increased rate of cardiovascular mortality unrelated to IHD. Intensification of secondary prevention regimens may be required to prevent this shift toward non-IHD-related death and thereby improve life expectancy.