Multiple (more than eight) bypass grafts in severe diffuse coronary disease: improved exercise tolerance and functional classification in seventy-seven consecutive patients.
During a 43-month period (May 1981 to December 1984), 77 consecutive patients underwent multiple (eight or more) coronary artery bypass procedures using saphenous vein conduits for severe diffuse triple-vessel coronary artery disease. Patients received from 8 to 14 grafts (average 9). All coronary arteries and branches that were at least 1.5 mm in diameter and greater than 50% obstructed were bypassed. The operative mortality rate was 1.3%. Seventy-six of 77 (98.7%) patients are alive at a mean follow-up of 2 years. According to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Angina Criteria, before surgery 5 patients (6%) were classified class I, 8 (10%) class II, 43 (56%) class III, and 21 (27%) class IV. After surgery all 76 patients were class I. Of 59 patients who had undergone bypass surgery who were followed by exercise testing according to the modified Bruce protocol, 47 exercised to greater than or equal to 85% heart rate. Among these patients, 44 (94%) had a normal exercise test result and only 3 had greater than or equal to 1 mm ST segment depression. Thus, patients with severe diffuse coronary disease can undergo multiple (eight or more) bypass grafting procedures with low mortality rates and improved exercise tolerance and functional classification.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D013997:Time Factors