Publication:

Role of emergency coronary artery bypass grafting in the era of percutaneous interventions

Background In acute coronary syndrome, prompt restoration of myocardial blood flow is essential to optimize myocardial salvage and decrease mortality. Coronary artery reperfusion, if performed in a timely manner improves clinical outcomes compared to no reperfusion. Fibrinolysis and percutaneous interventions can restore blood flow in an acutely occluded coronary artery in most of the patients; but in a few subset of patients coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is needed to effectively restore blood flow.

Methods A retrospective study was conducted among all CABGs performed during March 2016 - February 2018. During this period, 366 CABGs were performed and 57 patients underwent emergency CABG as per the inclusion criterias. Pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative data was analysed of these patients. Patients were divided into four groups based on the time of surgery from the time of onset of myocardial infarction.

Results 57 patients underwent emergency CABG with males constituting 94.7% of the study population. 78.9% of them had an ejection fraction less than 35%. 52% presented with low cardiac output status, 10% needed intra-aortic balloon pump support and 15% required mechanical ventilation prior to surgery. All patients received an average of 2.8 grafts. Mortality was 5%Conclusions: Immediate surgical revascularisation of patients presenting with acute MI is feasible. Emergency CABG not only treats the culprit lesion but also achieves complete revascularization and offers a clear advantage for patients. The optimal timing of CABG for patients with acute MI remains difficult to establish.