1. Triple Bypass Graft for the Treatment of Severe Triple Coronary Vessel Disease
- Author
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Donald B. Effler, William C. Sheldon, Roberto Grinfeld, Jose L. Navia, Laurence K. Groves, F. Mason Sones, Chalit Cheanvechai, and Floyd D. Loop
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Myocardial Infarction ,Coronary Disease ,Endarterectomy ,Disease ,Coronary Angiography ,Revascularization ,Transplantation, Autologous ,Asymptomatic ,Angina Pectoris ,Veins ,Angina ,Postoperative Complications ,Methods ,medicine ,Humans ,Saphenous Vein ,In patient ,Myocardial infarction ,Coronary Artery Bypass ,Aged ,business.industry ,Angiography ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,Coronary vessel ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,Operative risk ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
In a 3-year period (January, 1970, to January, 1973) three or more bypass grafts were placed in 397 patients who had severe triple coronary vessel disease. Ten patients (2.5%) died in the hospital postoperatively. Fifteen patients (4%) had postoperative myocardial infarctions. Late myocardial infarction occurred in 11 patients (2.8%), and in 6 of these the infarctions were fatal. Late deaths occurred in 11 patients; 7 of the deaths were of cardiac origin. Three patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining 373 patients were followed from 10 to 46 months. Three hundred sixty-one patients (96.7%) improved, 295 (79%) of these becoming asymptomatic. Two hundred twenty-one patients (672 grafts) were restudied from 6 weeks to 31 months after operation. The overall patency rate was 81.5%. There was a direct correlation between relief of angina and completeness of the revascularization. With one functioning graft, 9 patients (42.8%) became asymptomatic; with two functioning grafts, 52 patients (74.2%) became asymptomatic; and with three functioning grafts, 108 patients (87.8%) became asymptomatic. This experience suggests that three or more bypass grafts can be placed with a low operative risk in selected patients. Total or complete revascularization should be attempted in patients with severe triple-vessel disease.
- Published
- 1974
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