Saphenous vein bypass grafting for coronary atherosclerosis: clinical experience

Saphenous vein bypass grafting is a recent and important procedure in the management of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. A review of the first 150 patients operated on to July 1971 at the Toronto General Hospital is presented. Many had multiple bypass grafts and some had additional procedures including internal mammary artery implantation, valve replacement and scar tissue resection. There were five operative deaths (3%) and an additional five hospital deaths; the majority were related to myocardial infarction.A clinical review of the results six months to three years after operation indicates marked improvement in over 80% of the survivors. Postoperative hemodynamic studies were performed in many. It is suggested that patients with poor myocardial function presenting in failure may not benefit from the operation.