A Risk Score for Predicting Long-Term Mortality Following Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) comprises 15–30% of all bypass grafting surgeries. The currently available perioperative scores such as Euroscore and STS score do not specifically predict long-term mortality after off-pump procedures. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the new, easily accessible markers of inflammation with proven predictive value in cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to develop the first risk score for long-term mortality after OPCAB and to determine if the perioperative value of NLR predicts long-term mortality in OPCAB patients. Methods: In total, 440 consecutive patients with multivessel stable coronary artery disease undergoing OPCAB were recruited. Differential leukocyte counts were obtained by a routine hematology analyzer. Data regarding mortality during a median follow-up time of 5.3 years were obtained from the Polish National Health Service database. An independent population of 242 patients served as a validation cohort. Results: All-cause mortality was influenced by different clinical risk factors. In multivariate regression analysis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke history, post-operative NLR and LVEF were independent predictors of mortality. Combing all independent predictors predicted long-term all-cause mortality with 68.5% sensitivity and 71.5% specificity (AUC = 0.704, p p < 0.001 for score 0–3 vs. 4–6 and 7–10). This association was confirmed in the validation cohort. Conclusions: We developed and validated the first simplified risk score to predict mortality following OPCAB based on easily accessible clinical factors. This risk score can be used when obtaining a patient’s informed consent and as an aid in determining treatment