role of surgeon in length of stay in icu after cardiac bypass surgery

background: we presumed that the surgeon himself has an impact on the results after coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg) as there is no unique protocol for the discharge of post-operative cardiac patients at our institution. therefore, we examined whether the surgeon himself has an impact on the intensive care unit (icu) stay of isolated cabg patients. methods: we prospectively studied a total of 570 consecutive patients undergoing elective cabg. length of stay in the icu was defined as the number of days in the icu unit post-operatively. seven operating surgeons were classified in 3 categories on the basis of the mean hospital stay of their patients (1, 2 and 3 if the mean total patients' stay in hospital was <8 days, between 8 to 10 days, and longer than 10 days; respectively). using a multivariable regression model, we determined the independent predictors of length of stay in the icu (> 48 hours) and examined the role of surgeon in this regard. results: incidence of post-operative arrhythmia and length of icu stay were higher in the patients of surgeon category 3 than those of surgeon categories 1 and 2. surgeon category 3 also operated on patients with higher euroscores than did surgeon categories 1 and 2. with the aid of a multivariable stepwise analysis, three variables were identified as independent predictors significantly associated with icu length of stay: age, history of cerebrovascular accident, and surgeon category. conclusion: surgeon category may independently predict a prolonged length of stay in the icu. we suggest that a unique discharge protocol for post-cabg patients be considered to restrict the role of surgeon in the icu stay of these patients.