Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2009; 56 - P146
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1191736

Favourable one-year-mortality of cardiac surgery patients with complicated postoperative course

J Schöttler 1, J Cremer 1, D Pleger 1, A Hagemann 1, S Fraund-Cremer 1, M v.d. Brelie 1, M Ernst 1, N Haake 1
  • 1Klinik für Herz- und Gefäßchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the one-year-mortality rate of patients with a complicated course after cardiac surgery requiring a prolonged ICU stay. In addition variables correlating to a worse outcome were investigated.

Methods: All patients who underwent cardiac surgery (except transplantation) between 2000 and 2004 and who received intensive care treatment for at least one week were included. The informative perioperative variables were documented retrospectively. For statistical analyses t-test and chi-square were used.

Results: Out of 230 enrolled patients 170 (73.9%) survived the first year. The fraction of patients with a long term stay on ICU (2.9–5.3%) was stable. The one-year-mortality rates between 2000 and 2004 oscillated between 16.7 and 31.1%. In 2004 the mortality rate was 29.2%. Patients who died prior follow-up had significantly more often preoperative pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation, renal insufficiency and postoperative necessity of dialysis.

Conclusion: Generally the number of cardiosurgical patients with grave morbidity increases. In consequence the duration of postoperative ICU care and postoperative mortality will rise as well. However, a survival rate over 70% in patients after a long term stay on ICU has still to be considered as satisfactory.