Cause of death during 13 years after coronary artery bypass grafting with emphasis on cardiac death.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the cause of death in the long term after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with particular emphasis on cardiac death.

PATIENTS AND SETTING

All the patients in western Sweden without simultaneous valve surgery and without previous CABG who underwent CABG in 1988-1991 in Göteborg, Sweden.

DESIGN

Prospective, observational study for 10.6-13.6 years (i.e. until the end of 2001). Various factors contributing to death were described, with the emphasis on cardiac death.

RESULTS

In all, 2000 patients were included in the survey. The all-cause mortality rate was 39%. Fifty-eight per cent of all deaths were judged as cardiac deaths. The most frequent cause of death was heart failure (65% among patients who died within 30 days after CABG and 36% among those who died >30 days after CABG). The second most common cause of death was myocardial infarction (56 and 29%, respectively), followed by cancer (0 and 24%, respectively), stroke (21 and 18%, respectively) and infection (8 and 11%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The factors most commonly contributing to death in the long term after CABG were, in order of frequency, heart failure, myocardial infarction, cancer, stroke and infection.