PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pelletier, C.
AU  - Cossette, R.
AU  - Dontigny, L.
AU  - Primeau, R.
AU  - Proulx, J.
AU  - Tremblay, G.
TI  - [Early and late outcome after aortocoronary bypass: experience in 500 cases]
DP  - 1979 Oct 20
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 1081--1089
VI  - 121
IP  - 8
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/121/8/1081.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/121/8/1081.full
SO  - CMAJ1979 Oct 20; 121
AB  - Between 1971 and 1976, 500 patients underwent aortocoronary bypass surgery. There were 15 operative deaths (3%) and the total frequency of perioperative infarction was 7%. The operative mortality was 7.4% in unstable angina, as compared with 1.1% in stable angina (P less than 0.01). The proportion of grafts patent at 2 weeks was 92% and at 18 months 87.6%. Postoperative follow-up was complete for 99% of the patients. There were 15 late deaths (3%) and the rates of survival at 2 and 4 years were 94.4% and 92.1% respectively. The actuarial curve of survival after surgery was not significantly different from that of the general population. After a mean follow-up of 27 months 73% of the patients were completely free of angina and 19% were markedly improved. The rate of recurrence of angina averaged 10% per year and the annual infarction rate was 0.7%. Fourteen patients (3%) underwent reoperation during the follow-up period. Thus, coronary revascularization surgery offers effective and sustained relief of incapacitating angina and might also improve survival if the operative mortality is low.