Abstract

Relatively little information is available concerning the late clinical and angiographic status of patients with initially successful coronary bypass surgery. From 72 patients who had angiography 1 year after bypass surgery, we restudied at 6 years 19 patients with complete revascularization. At 1 year, 14 patients were asymptomatic and five had minimal anginal symptoms. Five years later, eight patients had redeveloped angina, and 11 retained their initial postoperative status. Overall graft patency at 6 years was 86%; 52% of the patients had atherosclerotic progression to > or = 70% luminal narrowing in a major unbypassed vessel or in a major vessel distal to bypass. The patients with unchanged symptoms all had patent grafts, while 11 of the 15 (73%) grafts were patent in patients with symptomatic deterioration (NS). However, progression of coronary disease occurred in seven of eight patients (88%) with worsened symptoms, as opposed to three of 11 patients with unchanged symptoms (P < 0.05). We conclude that late symptomatic deterioration following coronary bypass surgery is common, and that it usually reflects progression of coronary artery disease.

View details for PubMedID 14740702