Hokkanen M, et al. - Given that coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is being performed in an increasing proportion of obese patients, researchers evaluated the impact of obesity on long-term mortality and changes in quality of life (QoL) post-CABG. Despite on-going decline 12 years after CABG, all participants exhibited improvements in their health status compared to preoperative values. Although fewer improvements were observed in QoL dimension in obese patients, these subjects did not show a significant difference in overall mortality in the long-term follow-up.

Methods

• Prospective data collection for 508 patients who underwent isolated CABG was carried out, using RAND-36 Health Survey (RAND-36) as an indicator of QoL.
• Obesity was evaluated using BMI, and patients with BMI less than 30 kg/m² (408 patients) and BMI of at least 30 (100 patients) were analyzed.
• Preoperatively, as well as 1 and 12 years after CABG surgery, all assessments were carried out.
• In 95% and 84% of the alive patients, follow-up of the cohort was completed at 1 and 12 years, respectively.

Results

• For the obese group, the estimated 30-day, 1-year, and 10-year survival rates were 99.0, 97.0, and 78.0%, respectively, and for the nonobese group, 98.0, 96.8, and 79.2%, respectively.
• Obese and nonobese were found to have significant (P < 0.05) improvements only in four and in seven of eight RAND-36 dimensions of QoL, respectively.
• Both obese and nonobese patients had improved RAND-36 physical component summary and mental component summary scores, as compared with the preoperative values.
• Yet, a more pronounced reduction in the physical component summary and mental component summary scores was observed in obese patients, while nonobese patients maintained their physical and mental health status better.