Late Term Results of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction

This study evaluates whether patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and severely depressed ejection fraction (L VEF) benefit from coronary artery by-pass grafting(CABG). From February 1994 to December 1995,37 patients (ınean age 57.2; 20 male, 17 fenıale) with LVEF ~30% and with viable nıyocardium as demonstrated by thallium-201 stress and redistribution inıaging (except for 6 patients undergoing emergency CABG) and suitable vessel lumen for CABG, underwent isolared CABG performed by the same staff. Total duration of hospital stay was 8.6 days. The hospital mortality rate which we estinıated as 10.2% by Parsonnet scoring preoperatively, was found Lo be 5.4%. Postoperative L VEF which was assessed by MUGA, inıproved from 25.5±2.7 to 35.6±6.8. According to KaplanMeier analysis, the survival rate was found as 92% during the follow-up period. The 2 major conıpl ications recorded postoperatively were a rrh ythnıia (25%) and low output syndrome (16.2%). As a result, CABG in patients with severely impaired LV function appears beneficia I if the vessels are operable and if there is salvageable myocardium; being performed with relative safety, CABG appears to be an alternative approach to transplanlation or cardiomyoplasty in patients w ith CAD and poor LV. Key words: