Background: We aimed to examine the effect of smoking on outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Methods: We retrospectively analysed 6 367 consecutive patients who underwent CABG between April 1997 and March 2003. Logistic regression was used to risk adjust in-hospital outcomes, while Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to risk adjust Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Outcomes were adjusted for variables suggested by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.
Results: 947 (14.9 %) patients were current smokers (smoking within 1 month of surgery), while 3857 (60.6 %) were ex-smokers and 1 563 (24.5 %) were non-smokers. After adjusting for differences in case-mix, current smokers were more likely to develop chest infections ( p < 0.001), atelectasis ( p < 0.001), and require ventilation longer than 48 hours ( p = 0.003). Current smokers were also more likely to stay in intensive care for more than 3 days ( p < 0.001). Ex-smokers were not associated with excess mortality ( p = 0.11), while current smokers had significantly increased mortality during follow-up ( p = 0.029).
Conclusions: Patients should be encouraged to stop smoking to maximise the long-term benefits of CABG.