Women more likely than men to die after heart surgery

Women have as much as a three times higher risk than men of dying during or shortly after coronary artery bypass surgery, even though their coronary atherosclerosis may be less extensive and their heart pumping action may be better, a US study shows (Circulation 2002;105:1176-81).

Authors of the study, led by Dr Viola Vaccarino of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, reviewed records of 51 187 patients in the National Cardiovascular Network database who underwent cardiac bypass surgery at 23 medical centres between October 1993 and December 1999. Thirty per cent (15 178) of these were …