Which is the best statin for the postoperative coronary artery bypass graft patient?
The progression of atherosclerosis following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery results in the need for re-vascularisation therapy in a significant proportion of patients. It is well recognised that this risk can be lowered by controlling the level of low-density lipid cholesterol (LDL-C) which can be achieved easily and safely with the use of statins. The choice of which is the best statin in post-CABG patients remains unclear. It has been shown that for milligram-equivalent doses, rosuvastatin provides the greatest LDL-C reduction and greatest number of patients achieving LDL-C targets in comparison with simvastatin and atorvastatin. Rosuvastatin’s superiority over other statins in allowing patients to reach LDL-C targets has been maintained in ‘real-world’ observational studies. Rosuvastatin has also been shown to increase high-density lipid cholesterol (HDL-C) by greater proportions in comparison with other statins, providing increased anti-atherogenic effects. There are s
