CABG IN LOW EF PATIENTS

Background: Patients with preoperative left ventricular dysfunction (low ejection fraction) are at a higher risk for postoperative complications and early or late mortality after revascularization. Our objective was to demonstrate the retrospective analysis of the effects of the low ejection fraction on clinical outcomes after coronary bypass grafting (CABG).Methods and Results: In hospital mortality was significantly higher in Group I (5.5% versus 1.3% of total). Group I (EF< or = 25%) experienced a higher incidence of postoperative respiratory failure (8.3% versus 1.8%), renal failure (2.3% versus 0.5%) (0% in class IV t0 9.6% class I at our hospital) and sepsis (1.7% versus0.2%) compared with Group IV. Multivariate analysis showed pervious myocardial infarction, renal failure, reoperation, emergent procedures, female gender, congestive heart failure and age as Independent significant predictors of in-hospital morbidity and mortality in the low EF group. The discharge to home were significantly lower in Group I versus Group IV (more than 12 days and less than 7 days, respectively)Conclusions: Patients with compromised left ventricular function and low EF are sicker at baseline and have more than 4 Times higher mortality than the patients with high EF group. However results are improving over time, therefore, CABG still remains viable option in selected patients with low EF.