AUTHOR=Efird Jimmy T., O'Neal Wesley T., Anderson Curtis A., O'Neal Jason B., Kindell Linda C., Ferguson T. B., Chitwood W. R., Kypson Alan P.

TITLE=The Effect of Race and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Long-Term Survival after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=1

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2013.00004

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2013.00004

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a known predictor of decreased long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Differences in survival by race have not been examined.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A retrospective cohort study was conducted of CABG patients between 2002 and 2011. Long-term survival was compared in patients with and without COPD and stratified by race. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using a Cox regression model.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> A total of 984 (20%) patients had COPD (black <italic>n</italic> = 182; white <italic>n</italic> = 802) at the time of CABG (<italic>N</italic> = 4,801). The median follow-up for study participants was 4.4 years. COPD was observed to be a statistically significant predictor of decreased survival independent of race following CABG (no COPD: HR = 1.0; white COPD: adjusted HR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.7–2.3; black COPD: adjusted HR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.2).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Contrary to the expected increased risk of mortality among black COPD patients in the general population, a similar survival disadvantage was not observed in our CABG population.</p>