Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Dialysis-dependent Renal Failure

Myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular events constitute the leading causes of death in dialysis-dependent, end-stage renal disease patients. Due to growth in the elderly population, the number of uremic patients who need surgical revascularization is likely to increase. Whether or not coronary artery bypass grafting is safe for patients on long-term dialysis remains a great concern. We retrospectively reviewed all cases of elective or urgent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in our hospital, from 1 January 1998 through 31 March 2003, and identified 23 consecutive patients with dialysis-dependent renal disease (Group D). Twenty-two of them were on hemodialysis, and 1 was on peritoneal dialysis; the mean duration of dialysis was 19.2 +/- 22.5 months. We chose 69 matched non-dialysis patients who underwent bypass grafting in 2001 to serve as our control group (ND). Preoperative, operative, and postoperative data on these patients were compared. Group D consisted of 14 men and 9 women with a mean age of 63.8 +/- 9.9 years, and the mean number of distal anastomoses was 3.5 +/- 1.2. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in preoperative factors, intubation time, intensive care unit stay, major complications, and 30-day mortality. However, uremic patients had a greater tendency to bleed, longer postoperative hospital stays, and more late deaths. We conclude that under a well-prepared dialysis program and meticulous perioperative management, coronary artery bypass grafting can be performed in dialysis-dependent patients, with increased but acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality risks.