Is It Safe to Use Arterial Grafts in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction? Short-Mid-Term Propensity Analysis.

Introduction: The use of multiple arterial grafts (MAGs) has an impact on patient survival; however, preference for its use in the acute phase of myocardial infarction (AMI) has not yet been established. This study aimed to compare the short-mid-term clinical results of AMI patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with a single arterial graft (SAG) vs. MAGs.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional cohort study of 4,053 patients from the Registro Paulista de Cirurgia Cardiovascular II (REPLICCAR II). CABG in the AMI was considered when performed between one and seven days after diagnosis (n=238). Thirty-five patients underwent surgery with ≥ 2 arterial grafts (MAG group), population adjustment in SAG group was performed using the propensity score matching (PSM). Clinical follow-up was performed by telephone to assess need for readmission, new AMI, reoperation, and death.

Results: After PSM, 70 patients were evaluated. During hospitalization, a significant statistical difference was observed in the surgery duration: the MAG group had a median of 4.78 hours while the SAG group had 4.11 hours (P=0.040). Within the MAG group, there was a predominance use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (62.86%), followed by radial graft associated with the use of left internal thoracic artery (28.57%) and the combination of the three grafts (8.57%). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of outcomes up to 30 days after CABG or up to five years after CABG.

Conclusion: In REPLICCAR II, usage of MAGs in the AMI was not associated with clinical worsening of patients until the mid-term follow-up.