[Myocardial function in the period immediately after aortocoronary bypass]

Thirty patients with coronary heart disease were examined before and then 1.5 +/- 0.2 months after the operation of aortocoronary shunting. A total of 68% of the shunts proved patent. All patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1-14 (47%) patients with patent shunts, group 3-12 (40%) patients with partially patent shunts, group 3-4 (12%) patients with occluded shunts. The patients of the first two groups showed no changes in either the segmentary contractility of the left ventricular wall or in the time-course of the ejection fraction and left ventricular volumes. The patients of group 3 demonstrated the deterioration of both hemodynamic indices and parameters characterizing the segmentary contractility of the left ventricular wall which was caused by thrombosis of the aortocoronary shunt resulting in the development of ischemia or myocardial infarction in the zone of the shunted coronary artery.