Abstract
Sixty-one consecutive patients with coronary artery bypass graft for myocardial revascularization were retrospectively reviewed to analyze various pattern of postoperative complication and death during hospital stay from Nov. 1988 to Oct. 1992. Fortytwo of the patients were male and nineteen female. The mean age was 56 and 51 years in male and female. Preoperative diagnosises were unstable angina in 14 of patients, stable angina in 28, postmyocardial infarction state in 15, and state of failed percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 4. 141 stenosed coronary arteries were bypassed with use of 20 pedicled internal mammary artery and 124 reversed saphenous vein grafts. Postoperative complications and perioperative death were as follows: 1. Of 61 patients undergoing operation, peri and postoperative over all complication occured in 15 patients [ 25% ]; newly developed myocardial infarction in 4, intractable cardiac arrhythmia including atrial fibrillation and frequent ventricular premature contraction in 3, bleeding from gastrointestinal tract in 2, persistent vegetative state as a sequele of brain hypoxia in 1, wound necrosis in 1, left hemidiaphragmatic palsy in 3 and poor blood flow through graft in 2. 2. Operative mortality was 8%[5 patients]. 3 out of these died in operating room; 1 patient by bleeding from rupture of calcified aortic wall, 1 by air embolism through left atrial vent catheter, 1 by low cardiac output syndrome. 2 patients died during hospital stay; 1 by acute respiratory distress syndrome with multiuple organ failure, 1 by brain death after delayed diagnosis of pericardial tamponade.