Follow-up and Data Collection
In-hospital mortality was defined as death for any reason during the same hospitalization. Postoperative morbidities were also recorded including rethoracotomy due to bleeding, prolonged ventilation, stroke, deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), postoperative atrial fibrillation, and fatal arrhythmia. Prolonged ventilation was defined as mechanical ventilation for over 72 hours, stroke as postoperative symptomatic and persistent neurological deficit, DSWI as surgical site infection that required antibiotics or surgical treatment, and fatal arrhythmia as ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, or sinus arrest.
Late follow-up was performed between August 2019 and November 2019. Follow-up data were obtained from hospital charts and telephone interviews with patients, their families, and their family physicians. The two study endpoints were overall death and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (angina; myocardial infarction; repeat revascularization; readmission for heart failure; and cardiac death, including sudden death).