Preoperative lipid-control with simvastatin reduces the risk of postoperative thrombocytosis and thrombotic complications following CABG

Objective: It has earlier been suggested that postoperative thrombocytosis frequently occur after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and may be linked to lipid disturbances. A prospective randomized study was undertaken to evaluate if preoperative lipid-control, using HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitor (Zocor(R)), simvastatin, reduces the risk of postoperative thrombocytosis. Methods: Seventy-seven patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease and hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol greater than or equal to 6.2 mmol/l), planned for CABG where randomly assigned to; undergo CABG without preoperation lipid control (group I, n = 37) or undergo simvastatin-treatment (20 mg daily) to control their lipids (4 weeks) prior to CABG (group II, n = 40). Results: Patient characteristics and operation data did not differ between the groups. Serum-cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, Apolipoprotein A1 and Plasminogen were all significantly higher in group I patients compared with group n just prior to surgery. Other laboratory parameters did not differ. Results: In group II, total cholesterol and cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol quota were significantly lowered by simvastatin (-2 and -29%, respectively). Postoperative thrombocytosis (platelet counts greater than or equal to 400 000/mu l) occurred significantly more frequently in group I 81% (30/37) compared with 3% (1/40) in group II, P < 0.0001. Myocardial infarction after the 7th postoperative day was more often diagnosed in group I, 14 vs. 0% in group II. Postoperative transient renal failure occurred also more frequently in group I, 24% compared with 8% in group II. Other postoperative complications and laboratory data did not differ. Conclusions: This study once again underlines the importance of lipid control using HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors (e.g. Zocor(R)) in patients with established coronary artery disease. For the first time it is shown that lipid-control with simvastatin prior to CABG reduces the risk of postoperative thrombocytosis, thus lowers the risk for thrombotic complications. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.