Dp. Taggart et al., Effect of arterial revascularisation on survival: a systematic review of studies comparing bilateral and single internal mammary arteries, LANCET, 358(9285), 2001, pp. 870-875
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
Background Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the commonest major op
eration in most developed countries. A single internal mammary artery (IMA)
graft has proven survival benefits, but the additional survival advantage
of a second graft is unknown. We systematically reviewed published studies
of bilateral versus single IMA grafts in CABG to assess any differences in
survival.
Methods We identified from Medline all studies in which single and bilatera
l IMA grafts were compared. We included studies in which at least 100 patie
nts in each group had been followed up for at least 4 years. We assessed st
udy quality on the basis of patient selection, comparability of interventio
n groups (especially for age, sex, ventricular function, and diabetes statu
s), outcome assessment, and completeness of follow-up. Our primary outcome
was survival. Estimates of treatment effect (single versus bilateral) expre
ssed as hazard ratios were pooled across studies.
Findings None of the studies was a randomised trial, but nine cohort studie
s met our inclusion criteria. Seven studies yielded survival data for meta-
analysis, and included 15 962 patients: 11269 single and 4693 bilateral IMA
grafts. The bilateral group had significantly better survival than the sin
gle group (hazard ratio for death 0.81; 95% Cl 0.70-0.94). Exclusion of met
hodologically weak studies improved survival rates with bilateral IMA graft
s.
Interpretation Because no study was a randomised trial, our results are mor
e uncertain than is indicated by the 95% CI. Nevertheless, bilateral IMA gr
afts seem to give better survival rates than single grafts.