Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting is safe and effective in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction

OBJECTIVES: Severe left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is associated with increased risk following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Due to a dearth of reports on the choice of CABG technique in patients with LVD, this study aims to compare the outcomes of off-pump CABG (OPCAB) and conventional CABG (ONCAB) in such patients. METHODS: Retrospective single-centre propensity-matched analysis comparing early- and long-term outcomes of OPCAB and ONCAB in patients with severe LVD. Primary outcome was long-term all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2014, a total of 1161 consecutive patients with severe LVD underwent isolated CABG [442 patients underwent OPCAB and 719 ONCAB (430 matched pairs)]. Incomplete revascularization was observed more frequently among OPCAB than ONCAB patients (35.3% vs 21.6%; P < 0.01). The overall 30-day mortality was 5% and was comparable between the matched groups [OR 0.64 (0.34-1.22); P = 0.18]. OPCAB patients had shorter median hospital stay (11 vs 12 days; P = 0.02) and lower packed red blood cell transfusion rates [2.7 (2.21-3.19) vs 4.4 (3.56-5.24); P < 0.01]. Estimated adjusted survival was 86.0% vs 85.8%, 69.1% vs 65.5% and 59.9% vs 49.1% at 1, 5 and 10 years for OPCAB and ONCAB patients, respectively (P = 0.99). Long-term risk of mortality was similar between groups [hazard ratio (HR) 0.94 (0.66-1.32); P = 0.7]. Incomplete revascularization was weakly associated with increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality [HR 1.33 (0.99-1.77); P = 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: OPCAB is safe and effective in patients with severe LVD. Although incomplete revascularization is more commonly observed in patients undergoing OPCAB, it is not associated with increased late mortality.