[Does cardiac surgery in women carry a higher risk than in men?]

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in women, and female patients exhibit peculiar features as to symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. This sex difference is also observed in cardiac surgery, with mortality and morbidity being higher in female patients. Whether female gender is an independent variable for mortality still remains controversial. This review summarizes the data available in the literature on cardiac surgery in the female population.