Early outcomes of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in Chinese aged patients with diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE: To compare the early outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in aged diabetic patients, and evaluate the affection of diabetes on the early outcomes of CABG in aged patients.

METHODS: The study took place in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated First People's Hospital, Shanghai, China, between January 2000 and July 2008. Five hundred and ninety-three elderly patients (age >/=70-years-old), undergoing isolated CABG were retrospectively divided into diabetic group and non-diabetic group. We analyzed the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative variables of the 2 groups. The t-test, Chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the differences between the 2 groups of patients.

RESULTS: There was no statistical difference of pre-operative and intraoperative variables between the 2 groups, except that there were more left main coronary artery diseases in the diabetic group. Values in the post-operative period such as morbidity, complications, and blood infusion had no differences between the 2 groups. Diabetes mellitus and age are not the risk factors for in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION: Coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly patients is plausible. Furthermore, diabetic patients could get the same surgical results as those non-diabetic patients.