Coronary artery bypass: considerations on fifteen-year activity.

From May 1974 to June 1990, 2470 patients underwent myocardial revascularization at Parma Cardiac surgery center. The review of surgical techniques and results, has suggested many observations to improve further on our results. The use of internal mammary artery in 818 patients, and the relative follow-up obtained in more than 200 patients through selective angiography of IMA coronary conduits and myocardial scintigraphy, has confirmed the excellent patency of IMA grafts after 5 years. The myocardial protection is still one of the major problem of the cardiac surgeon since it seems without any final solution. The authors believe that the use of blood cardioplegia could improve the results of myocardial revascularization.