Pre-operative anaemia—does it influence post-operative outcomes after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting?

Preoperative anaemia is prevalent in a number of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Studies provide conflicting results due to several reasons including variation in the threshold of haematocrit used to define anaemia. We aimed to assess the independent effect of preoperative anaemia on outcomes in patients undergoing off pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). In this retrospective study, patients with a hemoglobin level less than 11g/dl (haematocrit <33