EuroSCORE predicts mid-term outcome after combined valve and coronary bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: EuroSCORE is widely used to assess operative risk. Combined cardiac procedures carry increased perioperative mortality, but the influence of preoperative factors on mid-term outcome is not well known for these patients. The study aim was to determine if EuroSCORE risk influences mid-term survival after combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve surgery.

METHODS: Follow up (mean 23.7 months) was obtained in 258 consecutive hospital survivors (148 males, 110 females; median age 72.29 years; mean EuroSCORE 7 points) operated on between January 1998 and March 2001. CABG + aortic valve replacement (AVR) was performed in 171 patients, CABG + mitral surgery in 72, and CABG + double valve surgery in 15. Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated for survival and combined freedom from death and NYHA class III/IV. The Cox regression model was applied to prove the influence of EuroSCORE risk and a number of preoperative and operative variables on mid-term outcome.

RESULTS: Thirty patients (11.63%) died during follow up, and 34 (13.17%) were in NYHA class III/IV. Freedom from death and NYHA class III/IV was 89.3%, 74.7% and 55.2% at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively. The significant predictor for combined death and NYHA class III/IV was EuroSCORE risk (p = 0.0004). In the subgroup of patients with CABG + mitral valve surgery, age was identified as a significant risk factor for death (p = 0.0346), whereas in the subgroup of patients with CABG + AVR EuroSCORE was detected as significant risk factor for combined death and NYHA class III/IV.

CONCLUSION: EuroSCORE is an important predictor for poor mid-term outcome after combined CABG and valve surgery.