Do Patients Profit from Third Time CABG?

Introduction It has been shown that in experienced hands repeated CABG is doable procedure. However the quality of life after third time CABG has not been evaluated so far. Patients and Methods The peri-operative data of 25 (22 male, mean age of 65.5 ± 8.0 years) consecutive patients in a single centre undergoing third time-CABG from 4/96 to 11/06 were studied. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by Short Form (SF)-36 Questionnaire. Results 30 day mortality was 12% (3/25). Seven died during follow-up. In 15 survivors median follow-up was 94 months (2–122 months). 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival were 77.8%, 65.0%, and 53.1%, respectively. Present NYHA status was significantly improved in comparison to preoperative values (2.4 ± 0.8 vs. 3.2 ± 0.56, p = 0.012). QoL was comparable with an age matched general population with heart insufficiency. Conclusion Third time CABG can be performed with acceptable peri-operative mortality. Significant improvement of NYHA status and acceptable quality of life results justifies our surgical approach in this challenging patient cohort.