The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 83, 503-511, Copyright © 1982 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Relationship between graft patency, postoperative work status, and symptomatic relief
RL Jensen, PD Clayton and HV Liddle
In 405 men under the age of 65 requiring coronary bypass, in whom 6 month
postoperative arteriograms were performed, we compared graft patency to
postoperative work status and recurrent symptoms. We divided the population
into subgroups of patients with varying degrees of patency. When these
subgroups were tested, no significant dependence was found between the
degree of graft patency and the percentages of patients who were working
after operation, unless certain subgroups were removed from the population.
When relief of angina was examined in the same manner as the postoperative
work, we found a significant dependence between the graft patency and the
percentage of patients who reported either short or long-term relief of
angina in all groups. Because the rate of rehabilitation was high, even in
patients with occluded grafts, and because older patients were less likely
to return to work than younger patients despite successful
revascularization, we conclude that physician emphasis on work
rehabilitation and patient age, as well as graft patency, are all important
factors which influence postoperative work status.
