IJCS | Volume 31, Nº5, September / October 2018

545 Karabag et al. Comorbidity and graft patency Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2018;31(5)544-547 Brief Communication defined as 50% or greater coronary luminal obstruction affecting any coronary vessel or its lateral branch. The stenosis percentage was defined through the consensuses of two separate operators. Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI) and modified CCI score (calculated by subtracting 1 point from the original CCI score) were used to detect comorbid conditions. The patients were categorized into two groups based on severity of bypass graft stenoses. Group 1 consisted of 54 patients with critical graft stenoses (41 men, 13 women; mean age 66.5 ± 7.8 years), and group 2 of 48 patients (31 men, 17 women; mean age 65.9 ± 8.2 years). Detailed patient history was taken from each patient, and data on demographic characteristics, medications, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. Fasting blood glucose levels, lipid profile, renal and hepatic function tests were obtained from venous blood samples taken at the time of admission. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography to quantify ejection fraction and left ventricular diameters. The local ethics committee approved the study. Statistical analysis All statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS for Windows 13.0. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of quantitative data distribution. The Chi-square test and Fisher’s Exact Chi-Square test were used to compare categorical variables between the groups. The comparison of continuous variables between the control and critical coronary artery disease (CAD) groups was performed by the independent sample test when the parametric test assumptions were met and by Mann-Whitney U test when the parametric test assumptions were not met. The association between time since the bypass operation and scores were analyzed by Pearson’s/ Spearman correlation analysis. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 and the confidence interval at 95%. Results The two groups were statistically similar with respect to demographic properties, time since bypass operation, cardiovascular risk factors, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, medications used, complete blood counts parameters, and lipid profiles (Table 1). CCI score were significantly higher inGroup 1 compared toGroup 2 (7.14 ± 2.02 vs 4.72 ± 1.58; p < 0.001). Modified CCI score was also higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (6.14 ± 2.02 vs 3.73 ± 1.60; p < 0.001). There was no correlation between time since bypass operation and CCI score. Discussion CABG is a globally recognized procedure that not only cures angina pectoris, but also improves cardiac functions and life expectancy. Saphenous grafts were initially used for the procedure, which were later followed by internal thoracic and radial arteries. 5 Saphenous veins are the most commonly used conduits, 50% of which remain patent without flow- limiting stenoses by 10 years. Early graft restenosis is a process characterized by the activation of various molecular pathways and cellular components, and the simultaneous activation of hemostatic systems with endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress ultimately results in the appearance of a systemic inflammatory response. 6 During the intermediate and long terms, on the other hand, intimal hyperplasia and superimposed atherosclerosis are the main responsible mechanisms for graft occlusion. 7 In a large-scale study from the Cleveland Clinic, the main factors causing reoperation were a young age at operation and graft type; other factors include incomplete revascularization, higher NYHA functional class, ventricular dysfunction, and single- or two-vessel disease at the initial operation. 8 In a study by Goldman et al., 9 the main factors determining long-term graft patency included graft type (internal mammary artery - IMA - better than venous grafts), left anterior descending artery – LAD - being the bypassed vessel, and bypassed vessel being larger than 2 mm. Desai et al. 10 showed that radial artery grafts had an important effect on long-term graft patency, which was more pronounced among women. They also demonstrated that the diameter of the bypassed vessel and bypass grafting proximal stenoses were determinants of bypass patency. In our study, the mean time since bypass operation was 7.6 ± 4.3 years. Patients who had occluded bypass grafts more commonly had saphenous grafts. There were no differences between patients with and without graft occlusion with respect to graft type, time since bypass, risk factors, and medications. However, CCI and modified CCI scores were significantly higher in the graft occlusion group. Despite similar demographic characteristics and risk factor profiles, the significant difference between the CCI scores may have contributed to the restenosis process.