Pulse pressure and long-term survival after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Data from longitudinal studies reveal that widened pulse pressure (PP) is a major predictor of coronary heart disease and mortality, but it is unknown whether PP similarly decreases survival after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for coronary heart disease. We therefore assessed long-term survival in patients with increased PP at the time of presentation for CABG surgery.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study of patients undergoing CABG surgery between January 1993 and July 2004, 973 subjects were included for assessment of long-term survival.