Attainment of Lipid Targets Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Can We Do Better?

ObjectivePatients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remain at high cardiovascular risk; however, few studies have evaluated lipid management and attainment of lipid targets in these patients. We investigated the proportion of CABG surgery patients who attained low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) targets.MethodsData were retrospectively obtained from patients undergoing CABG surgery at an Australian tertiary hospital between February 2015 and August 2020. The most recent lipid profile was recorded (at least 3 weeks post-operatively). We studied patients with electronically available data to ensure accuracy. Target LDL-C was defined as ResultsFollow-up lipid results were available for 484 patients (median post-operative follow-up, 483 days; interquartile range, 177.5-938.75 days). The mean age was 62.7±10.5 years and 387 (80.1%) were male. At discharge, 469 (96.9%) patients were prescribed statins, 425 (90.6%) high-intensity. Ezetimibe was prescribed for 62 (12.8%) patients and a proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 inhibitor for 1. LDL-C levels ConclusionThe use of non-statin lipid-lowering therapies was limited, and many CABG surgery patients did not attain lipid targets despite high-intensity statins. Further studies are required to optimise lipid management in this very high-risk population.