Key clinical point: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had worse prognosis after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) than matched controls.
Major finding: The risk for mortality at 14.3 years’ follow-up after CABG was significantly higher in patients diagnosed with RA than those without (hazard ratio [HR] 1.50; P < .0001). Moreover, patients with RA were at a higher risk for myocardial infarction during the follow-up period (HR 1.61; P < .0001).
Study details: This was a retrospective analysis of patients with RA (n=378) matched with those without RA (n=7,560), all treated with CABG.
Disclosures: The Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Paulon Sääti ö Foundation, the Finnish Governmental VTR-funding, and Suomen Kulttuurirahasto funded this study. The authors disclosed receipt of travel grants, consulting/speaker fees, honoraria, and congress sponsorship from and serving on advisory boards for various sources.
Source: Malmberg M et al. Ann Med. 2021 Aug 31. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1969591 .