Results of coronary artery surgery

Four hundred and two patients undergoing coronary artery surgery from 1972 to 1978 inclusive have been followed up; 343 patients had coronary artery surgery without associated surgical procedures. In the over-all experience, the operative mortality rate was 5% falling to 1.5% in recent years. The seven-year survival rate was 90% compared with a 92% for an age-sex matched population. Late survival figures have improved with further surgical experience and the 30-month survival is now 98%. Seven per cent of patients sustained a perioperative infarction, but the over-all mortality rate was similar in patients with or without infarction. There has been a recurrence rate of angina of approximately 5% per annum; however, in our more recent experience, 82% of our patients were alive and free of angina two years after surgery.