DIABETES-MELLITUS AND MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RISKS AFTER CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY

Of 1025 patients (912 men, 113 women) who underwent coronary artery by pass grafting and were followed up for a mean of 7.4 years, 45 (4.4%) had diabetes mellitus. (The prevalence of diabetes in the general Norw egian population is 1.8-2%). Early mortality was not significantly gre ater among diabetics than in non-diabetics (2.2 vs 3.1%, odds ratio-OR -0.44, confidence interval-CI-0.05-3.56). Diabetic patients had no inc reased risk of perioperative myocardial infarction (OR = 0.87, CI 0.36 -2.10) or of low-output syndrome necessitating intraortic balloon pump ing (OR = 0.42, CI 0.55-3.05), and no excess incidence of late non-fat al myocardial infarction (relative risk = 0.69, CI 0.10-1.28) or late chronic heart failure (OR = 2.50, CI 0.5-11.0). Long-term mortality wa s increased in the diabetic patients (relative risk 1.87, CI 1.60-2.14 ). Thus diabetes did not entail heightened risk of early mortality, pe rioperative myocardial infarction or low-output syndrome. Nor was ther e excess risk of recurrent angina pectoris, late non-fatal myocardial infarction or chronic heart failure among the diabetic patients, but t he late mortality risk was increased.