An analysis of 200 consecutive patients treated by saphenous‐vein bypass grafting has been carried out. One patient died in hospital, and one died nine months after surgery. Some of the factors which predispose to postoperative complications can be defined preoperatively. These are unstable angina, multiple vessel disease, and impaired left ventricular function. The complications of postoperative infarction, low cardiac output, and arrhythmia were higher in the presence of these factors. The use of cardioplegia myocardial protection lessened the incidence of complications in patients with impaired left ventricular function. Early follow‐up revealed 96% of patients truly or virtually angina‐free. Three patients suffered infarction within nine months of operation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.