Usefulness of the logistic clinical syntax score in prediction of saphenous vein graft failure in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

We investigated the association between the preoperative logistic clinical syntax score (log CSS), saphenous vein graft (SVG) patency, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Of 1875 patients undergoing isolated CABG between 2009 and 2011, 267 patients, who later underwent coronary angiography, were included in the study. The primary end point was at least 1 graft occlusion on the follow-up coronary angiogram. The secondary end point was a composite of MACCE. In multivariate analysis, log CSS was found as a strong predictor of SVG failure (odds ratio [OR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-0.94, P = .02; and OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.02-4.75, P = .04, respectively): log CSS was also associated with MACCE (P = .001 and P < .001, respectively). The addition of clinical parameters to the anatomical SYNTAX score, termed as "log CSS", augmented the accuracy and reliability of the prediction of SVG failure and MACCE in patients undergoing CABG.