[Bypass operations in coronary heart disease--status in 1982]

Coronary artery bypass surgery is the method of choice in treating coronary heart disease. A hospital mortality of about 1% is followed by nearly full life-expectancy and quality. Early diagnosis and division in groups, either for medical or surgical treatment, and early reconstruction before irreversible damage of myocardium would save many coronary patients from early retirement. 87.8% our patients felt symptomatically better, 66.1% were without symptoms. Five years after bypass surgery 93.6% of patients survived, but only 52.1% of patients with similar extend of disease survived after medical treatment. Only 45% of patients returned to work after the operation, though 53% of these had no complaints - indicating that coronary heart disease is also a sociopolitical problem.