In-Hospital Outcomes and Complications of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in the United States Between 2008 and 2012.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency and predictors of in-hospital complications among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the United States.

DESIGN: Retrospective national database analysis SETTINGS: United States hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS: A weighted sample of 1,910,236 patients undergoing CABG surgery identified from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2012.

INTERVENTIONS: CABG surgery MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The number of CABG surgeries decreased from 436,275 in 2008 to 339,749 in 2012. The Deyo comorbidity index showed a steady increase from 2008 to 2012. The rate of in-hospital mortality decreased from 2.7% in 2008 to 2.2% in 2012 (p<0.001). The most common in-hospital complication was postoperative hemorrhage (30.4%), followed by cardiac (11.34%) and respiratory complications (2.3%). During the 5-year period, the rates of in-hospital cardiac, respiratory and infectious complications decreased (p<0.001), while the rate of postoperative hemorrhage showed a 35.8% relative increase in 2012 compared to 2008.

CONCLUSION: The annual number of CABG surgeries is declining in the United States. While the burden of comorbidities is increasing, the rates of mortality and most in-hospital complications are improving. The increasing rate of postoperative bleeding necessitates the need to develop strategies to improve the risk of bleeding in this patient population.