Prevalence and Predictors of Significant Coronary Artery Disease in Turkish Patients who Undergo Valvular Heart Surgery
Kenan Sonmez MD, Murat Gencbay MD, Ahmet Akcay MD, Ahmet Yilmaz MD, Selcuk Pala MD, Ozgur Onat MD, Nilufer Eksi Duran MD, Muzaffer Degertekin MD, Fikret Turan MD

The presence of significant atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with valvular heart disease is an important predictor of perioperative mortality. CAD prevalence in patients who undergo valvular heart surgery is 20-40% in industrialized countries. The study aim was to determine the prevalence of CAD in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery, and to identify predictors of its presence. A total of 760 patients (357 males, 403 females; mean age 54.4 ± 18.1 years) who underwent coronary angiography before valvular surgery between 1995 and 2000 was enrolled retrospectively. Significant CAD was present in 15.8% of patients (24% male, 9% females) (p <0.001). The highest prevalence of CAD was found in patients with aortic stenosis (p <0.05). When correlation between CAD and risk factors was tested, the highest correlation was found with family history of CAD, followed by diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and smoking, in decreasing order.