The Prognosis of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease After Coronary Bypass Operations

The clinical progress of 532 patients who were treated for ischemic heart disease by coronary bypass grafting during a five-year period was studied. All patients had at least 50% luminal narrowing of one or more major coronary arteries determined by preoperative coronary arteriography and relatively stable and disabling (New York Heart Association Functional Class III and IV) angina pectoris. During the total observation period there were 35 deaths: 18 early and 17 late. The over-all 4-year survival rate by life-table methods was 89%, and it differed among patients with one-vessel involvement (96%), two-vessel involvement (89%), and three-vessel involvement (84%), but not significantly so. The patency rate of bypass grafts determined in 191 patients at a mean time of six months postoperatively was 76%. Functional class I and II status was 93% during the first year and was 75% during the fourth year after operation in observed survivors.