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.