Patient selection and data collection
We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively electronically collected data of all patients who underwent isolated OPCAB in our center between 2003 and 2014. All cases were performed by the same surgeon. Preoperative characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality were prospectively recorded in our database Patients Administration and Tracking System (PATS).
Long-term follow-up was undertaken through clinical visits and/or telephone interviews to determine clinical status (functional class and residual angina), myocardial and cerebrovascular events and need for repeated revascularization. The follow-up data collection was undertaken between January and September 2016, with the majority being through telephone interview, as patients had already been discharged from the hospital follow-up system. Mortality data was obtained from the National Demographic Census.
The data used in this study was approved by the institutional review board, which deemed an individual consent form was not needed since no patient identifiable information was used.