Relative survival after CABG surgery is poorer in women and in patients younger than 70 years at surgery.

Objective: The difference in survival between genders after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) have been studied with varying results. We wanted to investigate gender and age specific relative survival in the CABG population. Risk factors increasing hazard of death in female patients were isolated.

Design: Retrospectively, 6699 primary isolated CABG procedures were investigated. Long-term survival compared to expected survival in the background population was described through Kaplan-Meier plots. Two subgroups of female patients were described through baseline characteristics, t-tests, odds ratio and multivariate analysis to investigate risk factors for death within one year after surgery.

Results: Women had significantly decreased relative long-term survival compared to men in this study. Relative survival was lower in patients below 70 years of age at surgery with about the same gender difference. Low ejection fraction, left main stem stenosis and reduced renal function were found to increase risk of death within one year after CABG in women, while body size quantified by body surface area (BSA) did not.

Conclusion: Relative long-term survival after CABG was poorer in female compared to male patients. This tendency was kept or strengthened when only those less than 70 years of age at surgery were investigated. Lower female survival was most likely due to more comorbidity in female patients. Relative survival was lower in patients <70 years.