BACKGROUND In Poland, mortality and morbidity rates due to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remain high and concern the whole population. An interesting issue is rapid development of IHD in some younger subjects and uncertain treatment outcomes in this patient subset. Premature cessation of professional activity, along with worsening of quality of life due to IHD in the population under 45 years o...

OBJECTIVE Monocyte activation plays a key role in amplifying both inflammatory and coagulopathic sequelae in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Off-pump CABG diminishes, but does not eliminate, the systemic inflammatory response and its influence on monocyte activation remains unclear. This study was performed to determine if off-pump CABG suppresses all fe...

BACKGROUND Elderly patients with ischemic heart disease are increasingly referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, reports of poor outcomes in the elderly have led to questions about the benefit of these strategies. We studied survival by prescribed treatment (CABG, PCI, or medical therapy) for patients in 3 age categories: <70 yea...

OBJECTIVES Social deprivation impacts on healthcare outcomes but is not included in the majority of cardiac surgery risk prediction models. The objective was to investigate geographical variations in social deprivation of patients undergoing cardiac surgery and identify whether social deprivation is an independent predictor of outcomes. METHODS National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit data for co...

BACKGROUND Results on the safety and long-term efficacy of drug-eluting stent placement in unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD) compared with those of coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) remain inconsistent across randomized clinical trials and recent meta-analysis studies. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and safety over short- and long-term follow-ups by conductin...

BACKGROUND Off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCAB) has been performed for many years, but its use is increasing in frequency, and it remains an open question whether OPCAB is associated with better outcomes than on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS New York State patients who underwent either OPCAB with median sternotomy (13 889 patients) or o...

BACKGROUND Endoscopic saphenous vein harvest (EVH) decreases leg wound infections and improves cosmesis after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Recent data, however, suggest that EVH may be associated with reduced graft patency rates. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of EVH on short-term and midterm outcomes after CABG. METHODS Data were prospectively collected on all...

OBJECTIVE Poor outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have been linked to perioperative endothelial activation and systemic inflammatory responses. The use of pulsatile cardiopulmonary bypass (PCPB) or off-pump CABG (OPCABG) may minimise these phenomena. We compared biochemical and clinical outcomes among patients who underwent CABG with PCPB, CABG with linear CPB (LCPB) or OPCAB...

BACKGROUND Prior observational studies have suggested better outcomes in patients who receive bilateral internal mammary arteries (BIMA) during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) compared with patients who receive a single internal mammary artery (SIMA). The aim of this study was to analyze the association between BIMA use and long-term survival in patients who underwent primary isolated CA...