Association Between Chronic Liver Disease and Adverse In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients Undergoing CABG: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Abstract

Despite a 30% decline in the rate over the last decade, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remains a common major surgical procedure with significant morbidity and mortality. Chronic liver disease (CLD) patients, with increased survival rates due to medical advancements, are now frequently being considered for CABG, bearing higher perioperative risks. This study investigates the association between CLD and in-hospital outcomes in CABG patients using retrospective data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2016-2020) including 7,945 CLD patients undergoing CABG that were propensity score matched with an equivalent number of patients with no CLD undergoing CABG. Clinical variables were extracted using corresponding ICD-10 codes and multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to assess in-hospital mortality, complications, and length of stay. The overall mortality rate was 5.5% (8.6% in the CLD group with cirrhosis, 5.9% CLD group without cirrhosis, and 2.8% in the non-CLD group, p<0.001). CLD with cirrhosis was associated with higher odds of mortality (AOR= 4.21, 95% CI [3.61, 4.94]) and length of stay (β = 1.03, 95% CI [1.01, 1.05]). CLD patients with cirrhosis demonstrated higher odds of perioperative cardiac complications (cardiac arrest, ventricular arrhythmias, tamponade, and shock), thromboembolic events, gastrointestinal bleeding, bowel ischemia, acute kidney injury, pneumonia, and sepsis. This study reveals a substantial impact of CLD on adverse outcomes in CABG patients, emphasizing the need for tailored preoperative assessments and postoperative care.