Lipid-lowering therapy and coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Posted on Tue, Oct 25, 2011
Lipid-lowering therapy and coronary artery bypass graft surgery: what are the benefits?
Current Opinion in Cardiology, 10/25/2011 Clinical Article
Kulik A et al. – Statins clearly improve the outcomes of CABG patients. In the absence of contraindications, all patients undergoing CABG are candidates for life–long statin therapy, with initiation recommended as soon as coronary disease is documented. Statins should be restarted early after surgery. However, the optimal postoperative lipid–lowering regimen remains unknown and should be the subject of upcoming trials. Strategies directed toward improving statin prescription rates and patient adherence should also be priorities for future research.
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Despite their apparent benefits, statins remain underutilized after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
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To summarize the literature regarding statin therapy and CABG, authors performed a systematic review of the Medline database from 1987–2011 to assess the benefits of statins in CABG patients, including the role of high–dose therapy, and highlight areas for future study.
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When administered prior to CABG, statins reduce the risk of read more
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