Effect of obesity on saphenous vein graft stenosis in patients with postoperative recurrent angina.

Background: Coronary artery bypass surgery with saphenous vein grafts is a well accepted treatment method of coronary artery disease despite the diminishing patency rates of saphenous vein grafts over time mainly due to the atherosclerotic process. Obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease, but the impact of obesity on saphenous vein graft patency is less well described. This study was designed to examine the effect of obesity on the early and late saphenous venous graft stenosis.

Methods: 676 consecutive patients (mean age 62.9 +/- 9.7 years), undergoing a first-time coronary angiography after bypass surgery for recurrent angina were evaluated: body mass index was measured for 323 patients with at least one saphenous vein graft stenosis (group I) and 353 patients without saphenous vein graft stenosis (group 2).

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in terms of hypertension, diabetes, smoking, hyperlipidaemia and gender as well as body mass index (BMI) status of the patients between the two groups (P > 0.05). The patients in both groups divided into obese and non-obese subgroups using a definition for obesity of BMI < or =30 and cumulative saphenous vein graft patency rates were evaluated as a function of time. Kaplan Meier curves showed that obese and non-obese patients had similar patency rates according to time since coronary artery bypass surgery (P > 0.743).

Conclusion: Body mass index seems not to have an impact on the early and late saphenous venous disease in a group of consecutive patients admitted with recurrent angina.