Evaluation of plasma homocysteine levels as a prognostic factor for the occurrence of perioperative myocardial infarction in coronary artery bypass grafting: A pilot study

Disturbances in homocysteine metabolism may lead to hyperhomocysteinemia. This condition has been associated with vascular atheromatosis leading to coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as myocardial infarction. One hundred patients with CAD who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were enrolled. The study aimed to evaluate cardiac enzymes and electrocardiogram of each patient postoperatively so as to diagnose perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI). An initial decrease of homocysteine immediately postoperatively followed by a progressive increase was recorded. Mild hyperhomocysteinemia preoperatively was more frequent among the patients who developed PMI. A correlation of preoperative homocysteine with troponin in the PMI group was also noted. Homocysteine levels were a prognostic factor for the occurrence of PMI in CABG procedures. © 2008 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd