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Postoperative Period of Myocardial Revascularization Surgery: Retrospective Cohort Study of a Single Center

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Risk factors and postoperative complications can worsen the condition of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting; some of these factors and complications are closely related to mortality rate.

Objective:

To describe clinical factors and outcomes related to mortality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and on invasive mechanical ventilation.

Methods:

This is a single-center retrospective data analysis of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting on invasive mechanical ventilation between 2013 and 2019. Data regarding clinical characteristics, postoperative complications, intensive care unit and mechanical ventilation time, and their relationship with mortality were analyzed.

Results:

Four hundred seventy-two patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting entered the study. Their mean age was 62.3 years, and mean body mass index was 27.3. The mortality rate was 4%. Fifty percent of the patients who had ventilator-associated pneumonia died. Considering the patients who underwent hemotherapy and hemodialysis, 20% and 33% died, respectively. Days of intensive care unit stay and high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score and Simplified Acute Physiology Score were significantly related to death.

Conclusion:

Factors and clinical conditions such as the patients’ age, associated comorbidities, the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and mechanical ventilation time are related to higher mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Keywords:
Coronary Artery Byspass; Off-Pump; Artifical Respiration; Body Mass Index; Ventilator Associated Pneumonia; Length of Stay; Renal Dialysis; Mortality

INTRODUCTION

Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols AMI = Acute myocardial infarction APACHE = Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation BMI = Body mass index CABG = Coronary artery bypass grafting DM = Diabetes mellitus EuroSCORE = European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation ICU = Intensive care unit MV = Mechanical ventilation PaO₂/FiO₂ = Ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fraction of inspired oxygen ROC = Receiver operating characteristic SAH = Systemic arterial hypertension SAPS = Simplified Acute Physiology Score SD = Standard deviation SOFA = Sequential Organ Failure Assessment VAP = Ventilator-associated pneumonia

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death in Brazil and worldwide. In 2017, according to the information technology department of the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde (also known as DATASUS), 7.06% (92,657 patients) of the total number of deaths were caused by AMI. And approximately 5 to 10% of patients with acute coronary syndrome require coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)[11 Nicolau JC, Feitosa Filho GS, Petriz JL, Furtado RHM, Précoma DB, Lemke W, et al. Brazilian society of cardiology guidelines on unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation - 2021. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2021;117(1):181-264. doi:10.36660/abc.20210180.
https://doi.org/10.36660/abc.20210180...
].

CABG is the most performed cardiac surgery in Brazil, covering 54.1% of surgical cases. Considered the standard treatment for coronary artery disease, its indication is well established and can provide symptomatic improvement and prevent ischemic complications[22 Farias P, Arrué AM, Almeida TQ, Jantsch LB, Leites AW, Reichembach MT. Mortalidade de pacientes submetidos à cirurgia cardíaca. Res Soc Dev. 2021;10(5):e12110514610. doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i5.14610.
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i5.14610...
,33 Strobel RJ, Liang Q, Zhang M, Wu X, Rogers MA, Theurer PF, et al. A preoperative risk model for postoperative pneumonia after coronary artery bypass grafting. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016;102(4):1213-9. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.03.074.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.201...
]. Despite being a safe procedure, risk factors and possible perioperative and postoperative complications may affect the mortality rate related to cardiac surgery, differing according to each center[44 Navarro García MÁ, De Carlos Alegre V. [Myocardial revascularization surgery: short and long-term survival analysis]. An Sist Sanit Navar. 2021;44(1):9-21. doi:10.23938/ASSN.0934.
https://doi.org/10.23938/ASSN.0934...
].

Possible postoperative complications are directly related to risk factors, including age, systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), diabetes mellitus (DM), obesity, and smoking; these lead to a higher risk of complications and death[55 Santos CA, Oliveira MA, Brandi AC, Botelho PH, Brandi Jde C, Santos MA, et al. Risk factors for mortality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc. 2014;29(4):513-20. doi:10.5935/1678-9741.20140073.
https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-9741.201400...
]. Studies reveal a high prevalence of postoperative complications after major procedures, with pulmonary complications being the predominant ones[66 Pahwa S, Bernabei A, Schaff H, Stulak J, Greason K, Pochettino A, et al. Impact of postoperative complications after cardiac surgery on long-term survival. J Card Surg. 2021;36(6):2045-52. doi:10.1111/jocs.15471.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocs.15471...
,77 Aksoy R, Karakoc AZ, Cevirme D, Elibol A, Yigit F, Yilmaz Ü, et al. Predictive factors of prolonged ventilation following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2021;36(6):780-7. doi:10.21470/1678-9741-2020-0164.
https://doi.org/10.21470/1678-9741-2020-...
]. That’s because the procedure in question (i.e., CABG) causes an inflammatory response that affects multiple organs as well as their functions[88 Koerich C, Lanzoni GM, Erdmann AL. Fatores associados à mortalidade de pacientes submetidos à cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio. Rev Latino-Am. Enfermagem.2016;24:e2748. doi:10.1590/1518-8345.0708.2748.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.0708.2...
].

CABG is considered a major surgery, with intensive care needs in the postoperative period, and CABG patients are often admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for their recovery and can often evolve with one of the main and most common infections, the ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), generally associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality; in patients on mechanical ventilation (MV), especially those in prolonged use, there is an increased risk of developing it from 7 to 21%[99 Allou N, Allyn J, Snauwaert A, Welsch C, Lucet JC, Kortbaoui R, et al. Postoperative pneumonia following cardiac surgery in non-ventilated patients versus mechanically ventilated patients: is there any difference? Crit Care. 2015;19(1):116. doi:10.1186/s13054-015-0845-5.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-015-0845-...
]. Patients submitted to this type of surgery often remain on MV for a long time, which may represent this high risk of developing VAP[1010 He S, Chen B, Li W, Yan J, Chen L, Wang X, et al. Ventilator-associated pneumonia after cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis and systematic review. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;148(6):3148-55.e1-5. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07.107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07....
,1111 Núñez SA, Roveda G, Zárate MS, Emmerich M, Verón MT. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation: description, risk factors for mortality, and performance of the SOFA score. J Bras Pneumol. 2021;47(3):e20200569. doi:10.36416/1806-3756/e20200569.
https://doi.org/10.36416/1806-3756/e2020...
].

VAP is related to several types of pathogens, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most frequently detected bacterium (around 20% of all cases), in addition to other types such as Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, etc[1010 He S, Chen B, Li W, Yan J, Chen L, Wang X, et al. Ventilator-associated pneumonia after cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis and systematic review. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;148(6):3148-55.e1-5. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07.107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07....
]. This contamination usually occurs during the process of intubation or aspiration of the secretion around the endotracheal tube and combined with the systemic inflammatory reaction that occurs in cardiac surgery, in addition to other factors, this nosocomial infection is found[1111 Núñez SA, Roveda G, Zárate MS, Emmerich M, Verón MT. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation: description, risk factors for mortality, and performance of the SOFA score. J Bras Pneumol. 2021;47(3):e20200569. doi:10.36416/1806-3756/e20200569.
https://doi.org/10.36416/1806-3756/e2020...
].

The use of risk scales represents a great tool to estimate the results and the necessary medical efforts, being able to predict and calculate the possible postoperative complications[1212 Falcão ALE, Barros AGA, Bezerra AAM, Ferreira NL, Logato CM, Silva FP, et al. The prognostic accuracy evaluation of SAPS 3, SOFA and APACHE II scores for mortality prediction in the surgical ICU: an external validation study and decision-making analysis. Ann Intensive Care. 2019;9(1):18. doi:10.1186/s13613-019-0488-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-019-0488-...
]. Although they use different criteria, indices contribute significantly to the assessment of patients, as they predict organ dysfunction as well as mortality risk[1313 SilvaS, Martins F, Santos C, et al. Prognostic indices of clinical nursing practice in intensive care: an integrative review. Rev Eletr Enf. 2014;16(1):179-90.,1414 Timóteo A, Moura A, Viana C, et al. Evaluation of predictive predictive indexes of mortality of patients admitted in the unit of intensive therapy. J Med Health Prom. 2018;3(1):935-45.].

Therefore, knowing the clinical profile of patients and the outcomes related to mortality, in addition to the complications resulting from the procedure, can provide information and ease the development of more individualized plans, aiming to reduce postoperative complications[1515 Montrief T, Koyfman A, Long B. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery complications: a review for emergency clinicians. Am J Emerg Med. 2018;36(12):2289-97. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.09.014.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2018.09.0...
,1616 Ibañez J, Riera M, Amezaga R, Herrero J, Colomar A, Campillo-Artero C, et al. Long-term mortality after pneumonia in cardiac surgery patients: a propensity-matched analysis. J Intensive Care Med. 2016;31(1):34-40. doi:10.1177/0885066614523918.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0885066614523918...
].

This article aimed to describe clinical and demographic factors related to mortality of patients from a single center who underwent CABG and invasive MV between 2013 and 2019.

METHODS

A retrospective study was carried out analyzing the data found in the Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas database in the city of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil) of patients who underwent cardiac surgery and who remained in the adult ICU after the procedure between 2013 and 2019. A convenience sample was used. There were no exclusions of patients after applying eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria were restrictive, allowing only the inclusion of surgical patients. All patients undergoing cardiac surgery during this period were selected. An analysis was performed to verify which of these patients developed VAP in the postoperative period.

Eligibility criteria for inclusion in the study were patients aged 18 years or older and admitted to a surgical ICU for postoperative recovery from an elective or urgent surgical procedure. Among the patients who underwent cardiac surgery, only those who underwent CABG were included in this second moment and were separated into two different groups. Those with a diagnosis of VAP were included in Group 1 (VAP). To fit this diagnosis, the criteria of the Center for Control of Hospital Infections of the Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas were followed, which included patients who presented a new or progressive pulmonary infiltration in radiographic examination of the lung, associated with two or more of the symptoms - fever (> 38.5°C) or hypothermia (< 36°C), leukocytosis (> 12 × 109 L), purulent tracheal secretion, or reduced oxygenation index (ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fraction of inspired oxygen [PaO₂/FiO₂]) of ≥ 15% - in the previous 48 hours, in addition to having a positive bacterial culture. Based on these criteria, only patients classified as having VAP were included in Group 1 (VAP), that is, those who developed other types of complications were included in Group 2 (non-VAP).

In addition to the diagnosis of VAP and non-VAP, which separated the patients into different groups, data on the total incidence of myocardial revascularization in a total of patients undergoing cardiac surgery were analyzed. The incidence of VAP, an important postoperative complication in all patients after heart surgery, was also analyzed, as well as the death rate among patients who underwent myocardial revascularization and who progressed to VAP.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (08905619.0.0000.5404) and statistical analysis was performed using the PASW Statistics 17 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States of America). Descriptive statistics were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and frequency. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study was based on analysis of log data with outcomes and predictors available prior to initiating any form of statistical analysis. Therefore, it is a non-blinded study, where the results or predictors were not used.

RESULTS

Data from 472 patients who underwent elective or emergency CABG between 2013 and 2019, with or without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (extracorporeal circulation) during surgery, were analyzed. Among the individuals, 134 (28%) were women, and 338 (72%) were men. The mean age was 62.3 years, and the mean body mass index was 27.3. The patients’ hospital stay average was 10.3 days - 5.3 days in the ICU and 1.9 days on MV (Table 1).

Table 1
Characteristics of the participants of the study.

Concerning the characteristics and comorbidities associated with the study participants, a high frequency of SAH and a low frequency of alcoholics were found. A low frequency of VAP, death, and hospital death in addition to a low incidence of intercurrence therapy - indicating low frequency of clinical complications - were observed, with hemotherapy being the most frequent treatment (Table 2). Table 3 presents the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3 characteristics of the analyzed patients. Table 4 presents the association between death and other qualitative variables of the study and shows that there was a significant association between VAP and death, revealing a higher frequency of death in positive VAP situations. A significant association was also found between hemotherapy and hemodialysis with death, revealing a higher prevalence of both in death situations. Table 5 shows the association between death and other quantitative variables in the study. It was found that at death, patients had statistically higher values for age, height, ICU days, APACHE, SOFA, and SAPS 3. Table 6 shows the association between VAP and other quantitative variables in the study. It is verified that in the presence of VAP, patients present statistically longer length of stay in the ICU and hospital. Figure 1 presents the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the prognostic and mortality indices. We found that APACHE and SAPS 3 present significant values related to mortality. Adequate area under the curve (> 70%) also reveals a high probability of correctly classifying patients. This presents the cutoff point that would indicate death for each of the prognostic indices with their respective sensitivity and specificity. Figure 2 presents the curve and ROC table of the prognostic indices and VAP. We verified that no index presented significant values.

Table 2
Characteristics of the participants of the study and frequency of VAP, death, and in-hospital death.
Table 3
Characteristics of APACHE, SOFA, EuroSCORE and SAPS 3.
Table 4
Association between death and other qualitative variables of the study.
Table 5
Association between death and other quantitative variables in the study.
Table 6
Association between VAP and other quantitative variables of the study.

Fig. 1
ROC curve and table of prognostic indices and mortality.

Indices Area Sensitivity Specificity Criterion P-value APACHE 0.737 60.0 78.7 > 15 < 0.001 SAPS 3 0.721 80.0 60.5 > 38 < 0.001 SOFA 0.653 60.0 71.2 > 6 0.020 EuroSCORE 0.577 40.0 82.7 > 3 0.247 APACHE=Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; EuroSCORE=European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation; ROC=receiver operating characteristic; SAPS=Simplified Acute Physiology Score; SOFA=Sequential Organ Failure Assessment

Fig. 2
ROC curve and table of prognostic indices and VAP.

Indices Area Sensitivity Specificity Criterion P-value APACHE 0.521 100.0 22.5 > 9 0.818 SAPS 3 0.656 100.0 40.2 > 34 0.091 SOFA 0.572 30.0 85.4 > 7 0.434 EuroSCORE 0.660 90.0 39.9 > 1 0.082 APACHE=Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; EuroSCORE=European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation; ROC=receiver operating characteristic; SAPS=Simplified Acute Physiology Score; SOFA=Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; VAP=ventilator-associated pneumonia

DISCUSSION

In this retrospective study, data from 472 patients of a single center who underwent CABG were analyzed. The proposal was to identify variables such as risk factors and clinical data related to patients (e.g., length of stay and MV) and to investigate their relationship with mortality rate. Complications in the postoperative period were also analyzed, such as VAP, use of hemotherapics, and hemodialysis in order to relate to a longer hospital stay, longer ICU time, and, consequently, an increase in the mortality rate.

Currently, CABG is still considered the gold standard in the treatment of patients with multivessel coronary disease, aiming to improve the quality of life and increase survival in patients. However, the surgical results are closely related to the clinical conditions of the patient, who most often have cardiovascular risk factors and associated comorbidities[1717 Colósimo FC, Sousa AG, Silva GS, Piotto RF, Pierin AM. Hipertensão arterial e fatores associados em pessoas submetidas à cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2015;49(2):201-8. doi:10.1590/S0080-623420150000200003.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201500...
].

Regarding mortality in cardiac surgeries, there is a great evolution, which depends on the number of surgeries performed and the type of procedure. On average, it varies from 0.7% in North Americans, while the same procedure can reach 20.8% in some Brazilian centers[1818 Monteiro GM, Moreira DM. Mortality in cardiac surgeries in a tertiary care hospital of South Brazil. Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2015;28(3):200-5. doi:10.5935/2359-4802.20150029.
https://doi.org/10.5935/2359-4802.201500...
]. Vogt et al.[1919 Vogt A, Grube E, Glunz HG, Hauptmann KE, Sechtem U, Mäurer W, et al. Determinants of mortality after cardiac surgery: results of the registry of the arbeitsgemeinschaft leitender kardiologischer krankenhausärzte (ALKK) on 10 525 patients. Eur Heart J. 2000;21(1):28-32. doi:10.1053/euhj.1999.1634.
https://doi.org/10.1053/euhj.1999.1634...
] observed, in a multicenter study, that mortality rates in different types of cardiac surgery ranged from 0.9% to 10.7%[2020 Ortiz LD, Schaan CW, Leguisamo CP, Tremarin K, Mattos WL, Kalil RA, et al. Incidência de complicações pulmonares na cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2010;95(4):441-6. doi:10.1590/s0066-782x2010005000115.
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0066-782x201000...
]. In this study, mortality was 4%, a rate relatively close to the study carried out in 2010 on the incidence of post-mortem pulmonary complications, where the mortality rate was 5.4%.

Several factors may contribute to higher mortality. Among the variables analyzed in the present study, the age of the patients who underwent surgery was, on average, 62 years. The increase in life expectancy shows an increase in the number of elderly people undergoing cardiac surgery, and advanced age shows a proportional relationship to the complications resulting from the surgical process as well as the time of MV[2121 Oliveira EL, Westphal GA, Mastroeni MF. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and their relation to mortality. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc. 2012;27(1):52-60. doi:10.5935/1678-9741.20120009.
https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-9741.201200...
]. The elderly generally have a different risk profile than younger people. The elderly have a higher prevalence of comorbidities such as SAH and DM[2222 Aneman A, Brechot N, Brodie D, Colreavy F, Fraser J, Gomersall C, et al. Advances in critical care management of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Intensive Care Med. 2018;44(6):799-810. doi:10.1007/s00134-018-5182-0.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-018-5182-...
], and this higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among patients undergoing CABG seems to be responsible for the increase in postoperative mortality in this population[2323 Oliveira MM, Robles JI, Oliveira LM, Garcia PA. Análise comparativa do tempo de internação e do tempo de uso da ventilação mecânica entre idosos e adultos jovens. Movimenta. 2010;3(4)168-74.].

In Brazil, patients referred for CABG are most often those with SAH and DM. These cardiovascular risk factors, as well as smoking, appear to be highly related to mortality[1717 Colósimo FC, Sousa AG, Silva GS, Piotto RF, Pierin AM. Hipertensão arterial e fatores associados em pessoas submetidas à cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2015;49(2):201-8. doi:10.1590/S0080-623420150000200003.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201500...
]. In the present study, SAH and DM comorbidities were present in 81% and 46% of the patients, respectively. Recent studies have shown that the presence of DM is an independent risk factor for late postoperative CABG mortality, with a probability of death from cardiac causes being 1.73%, and 2.94% for overall mortality[2424 Kalil RA. Cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica no diabetes mellitus. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol. 2007;51(2):345-51. doi:10.1590/s0004-27302007000200026.
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0004-2730200700...
]. In another study, a comparison of cardiovascular risk factors was performed between Brazilian patients and patients from developed countries and indicated a prevalence of SAH (90.7% vs. 60%), previous AMI (23.5% vs. 2%), and DM (37.2% vs. 29%) clearly higher in Brazil[2121 Oliveira EL, Westphal GA, Mastroeni MF. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and their relation to mortality. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc. 2012;27(1):52-60. doi:10.5935/1678-9741.20120009.
https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-9741.201200...
].

According to some studies, the advancement of surgical techniques and resources have brought about a decrease in the occurrence of postoperative complications in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, however, they still exist and impact the mortality of these patients[2525 Neto AV, De Melo VL, Dantas DV, Costa IK. Postoperative complications of cardiac surgery in adult patients: scoping review. Ciencia y Enfermeria. 2021;27:34. doi:10.29393/CE27-34COAI40034.
https://doi.org/10.29393/CE27-34COAI4003...
]. They occur in the perioperative period or up to 30 days later, altering the patient’s clinical condition, despite care during the procedure, leading to an increase in the mortality of patients undergoing surgical procedures[2626 Lopes RO, Santos JC, Nogueira CS, Braga D. Complications in immediate postoperative recovery from elective cardiac surgery: a cross-sectional study based on Roy’s theory. Rev Enf Ref. 2019;4(22):23-32. doi:10.12707/RIV19042.
https://doi.org/10.12707/RIV19042...
].

Among the most common complications, pulmonary complications are very often found in the later period, mainly are directly associated with risk factors as pre-existing comorbidities, and most of them contribute to a longer length of hospitalization and in the ICU, increasing mortality[2727 Jensen L, Yang L. Risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications in coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2007;6(3):241-6. doi:10.1016/J.EJCNURSE.2006.11.001.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EJCNURSE.2006....
].

A longer stay in the ICU is associated with a longer time on MV, which is usually used in the treatment of respiratory failure in the postoperative period. In this study, patients who died stayed longer in the ICU and, consequently, on MV compared to other patients. This relationship was also found in a study that showed that a longer length of stay in the ICU and hospital usually occurs due to clinical complications in the postoperative period[1313 SilvaS, Martins F, Santos C, et al. Prognostic indices of clinical nursing practice in intensive care: an integrative review. Rev Eletr Enf. 2014;16(1):179-90.].

Several factors seem to be associated with longer ICU and hospital stays. The surgical procedure itself, in which there are inflammatory responses, combined with anesthesia, changes in lung function, and a longer time to weaning from MV, all of these contribute to a longer permanence, which can cause an increased risk of infections and a consequent increase in mortality. Oliveira et al.[2121 Oliveira EL, Westphal GA, Mastroeni MF. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and their relation to mortality. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc. 2012;27(1):52-60. doi:10.5935/1678-9741.20120009.
https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-9741.201200...
] performed a study showing that a high rate of risk factors resulted in an increase in hospital stay (12.7 days).

VAP is one of the most frequent nosocomial infections among MV patients in the ICU. The prevalence of VAP was 2% in this study, a rate considered relatively low in relation to another study, where the incidence was high, ranging from 6% to 52%, depending on the population studied, and which demonstrates that the risk of VAP occurrence grows with each day of stay on MV[1111 Núñez SA, Roveda G, Zárate MS, Emmerich M, Verón MT. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation: description, risk factors for mortality, and performance of the SOFA score. J Bras Pneumol. 2021;47(3):e20200569. doi:10.36416/1806-3756/e20200569.
https://doi.org/10.36416/1806-3756/e2020...
].

VAP is defined as an infection with the presence of pulmonary infiltrates on the chest X-ray, which may be associated with fever or hypothermia, leukocytosis, purulent pulmonary secretion, or reduced oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂). It is the most frequent nosocomial infection and is generally related to a significant increase in morbidity and mortality, in addition to increasing costs due to longer hospital stay. Considered difficult to diagnose in critically ill patients, however, it is an important predictor of mortality, especially when caused by resistant microorganisms. Nevertheless, a good prognosis is attributed when treatment is started with early appropriate antibiotic regimen, preventing prolonged time on MV and reducing mortality[1010 He S, Chen B, Li W, Yan J, Chen L, Wang X, et al. Ventilator-associated pneumonia after cardiac surgery: a meta-analysis and systematic review. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;148(6):3148-55.e1-5. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07.107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07....
]. Studies show that the best strategy is the prevention of VAP, since it is closely related to the number of deaths because it worsens the condition of patients who are on MV by increasing the length of stay. Measures such as early extubation, strict hand hygiene, patient oral care, cuff management, and early administration of antibiotic therapy should be taken[1111 Núñez SA, Roveda G, Zárate MS, Emmerich M, Verón MT. Ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation: description, risk factors for mortality, and performance of the SOFA score. J Bras Pneumol. 2021;47(3):e20200569. doi:10.36416/1806-3756/e20200569.
https://doi.org/10.36416/1806-3756/e2020...
].

The admission of surgical patients to the ICU is common in the postoperative period and is associated with monitoring and procedures. Information about the clinical condition and the risks of complications is necessary to follow the evolution and therapeutic results[1212 Falcão ALE, Barros AGA, Bezerra AAM, Ferreira NL, Logato CM, Silva FP, et al. The prognostic accuracy evaluation of SAPS 3, SOFA and APACHE II scores for mortality prediction in the surgical ICU: an external validation study and decision-making analysis. Ann Intensive Care. 2019;9(1):18. doi:10.1186/s13613-019-0488-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-019-0488-...
]. Some prognostic indices were developed to measure the severity of patients admitted to the ICU, in order to assess the performance of the ICUs and the therapeutic strategies used. The indices show, numerically, the probability of mortality[1313 SilvaS, Martins F, Santos C, et al. Prognostic indices of clinical nursing practice in intensive care: an integrative review. Rev Eletr Enf. 2014;16(1):179-90.,1414 Timóteo A, Moura A, Viana C, et al. Evaluation of predictive predictive indexes of mortality of patients admitted in the unit of intensive therapy. J Med Health Prom. 2018;3(1):935-45.].

The mortality risk scales (SAPS 3 and APACHE II) used in this study calculate the severity of the patient using variables. An organ dysfunction measurement scale (SOFA) and a cardiac surgery risk scale (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation, also known as EuroSCORE) were also used. The results of this study show that the SAPS 3 and APACHE II indices had a significant relationship with the mortality rate.

The performance of the prognostic index may differ when applied to different populations[2828 Alves CJ, Franco GP, Nakata CT, Costa GL, Costa GL, Genaro MS, et al. Evaluation of prognostic indicators for elderly patients admitted in intensive care units. Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2009;21(1):1-8.]. They are used in many studies in Brazil and worldwide, and some elderly patients may consider them useful in the ICU, as they show a response to the need for treatment of critically ill patients and intensive care patients[2929 Kim K, Yoon J. Comparison of the Predictive Power of the LODS and APACHE II Scoring Systems in a Neurological Intensive Care Unit. J Int Med Res. 2012;40:777-86.]. Although these indices are widely used for comparative estimates, some studies show a better performance in low-risk patients or in comparison with high-risk patients[1212 Falcão ALE, Barros AGA, Bezerra AAM, Ferreira NL, Logato CM, Silva FP, et al. The prognostic accuracy evaluation of SAPS 3, SOFA and APACHE II scores for mortality prediction in the surgical ICU: an external validation study and decision-making analysis. Ann Intensive Care. 2019;9(1):18. doi:10.1186/s13613-019-0488-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-019-0488-...
].

Finally, in addition to mortality-related factors, the ROC curve was used to demonstrate the sensitivity and probability of a true positive result. In this analysis, it is possible to verify significant values related to mortality with an adequate area under the curve with a high probability of correct classification of patients where the cutoff point indicates death in each of the prognostic indices, showing that APACHE and SAPS 3 present significant values related to mortality. These data confirm the results in the study by Falcão et al.[1212 Falcão ALE, Barros AGA, Bezerra AAM, Ferreira NL, Logato CM, Silva FP, et al. The prognostic accuracy evaluation of SAPS 3, SOFA and APACHE II scores for mortality prediction in the surgical ICU: an external validation study and decision-making analysis. Ann Intensive Care. 2019;9(1):18. doi:10.1186/s13613-019-0488-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-019-0488-...
], which concluded that the results of the scores are tools that help in the prediction of mortality.

Although all the risk factors are considerable, in this casuistry, it was evidenced that of the selected patients, the death rate was higher in patients with older age, associated comorbidities, and those who spent longer time in the ICU and on MV.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that, in cardiac surgery patients, the variables age, duration of MV, and risk score are significantly associated with a higher mortality rate. Those with longer ICU stays, VAP, and higher risk scores also had higher mortality. However, the implementation and continuous use of a database, which includes information on surgical and postoperative procedures, can help the therapeutic routine. However, further studies are necessary, using different populations for this, aiming at the association of risk factors and postoperative complications with the mortality rate.

  • Financial support: This study was funded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES).
  • This study was carried out at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    28 July 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    29 Aug 2022
  • Accepted
    16 Dec 2022
Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular Rua Afonso Celso, 1178 Vila Mariana, CEP: 04119-061 - São Paulo/SP Brazil, Tel +55 (11) 3849-0341, Tel +55 (11) 5096-0079 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
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