Isolated systolic blood pressure has not been sufficiently studied in the perioperative setting and may contribute to morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension among patients who had CABG surgery and to assess whether isolated systolic hypertension is associated with perioperative and postoperative in-hospital morbidity or mortality. Patients who underwent CABG were selected from a prospective epidemiological study involving 2417 patients in 24 medical centers. Patients were classified as having normal preoperative blood pressure, isolated systolic hypertension (systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg), diastolic hypertension (diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg), or a combination of these. Demographic risk factors (age, sex, and ethnicity), clinical risk factors (diabetes mellitus, increased cholesterol, antihypertensive medications, history of congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and neurological deficits), and behavioral risk factors (smoking and heavy drinking) were controlled for statistically. Adverse outcomes included left ventricular dysfunction, cerebral vascular dysfunction or events, renal insufficiency or failure, and all-cause mortality. Isolated systolic hypertension was found in 29.6% of patients. Unadjusted isolated systolic hypertension was associated with a 40% increased risk of adverse outcomes (odds ratio, 1.4; confidence interval, 1.1-1.7). After adjusting for other potential risk factors, the increased risk of adverse outcomes with isolated systolic hypertension was 30%. We conclude that isolated systolic hypertension is associated with a 40% increase in the likelihood of cardiovascular morbidity perioperatively in CABG patients. This increase remains present regardless of antihypertensive medications, anesthetic techniques, and other perioperative cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., age older than 60 yr or history of congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, or diabetes).
Implications: Isolated systolic hypertension is associated with a 40% increase in the likelihood of perioperative cardiovascular morbidity in coronary artery surgery patients.