Risultati immediati ed a distanza del bypass aorto-coronarico eseguito in pazienti con contrattilità cardiaca compromessa

From March 1979 to December 1985 at Cardiac Surgery Department of Parma 1064 patients underwent myocardial revascularization. Of them, 82 (7.7%) with poor left ventricular function (ejection fraction less than 40%) were studied to evaluate the effects of coronary artery bypass grafting on surgical risk, survival, ventricular performance and late clinical status. Three vessels disease was present in 65.9% and severe stenosis of left main coronary artery in 21.9% of patients. There were 74 (90.2%) patients with a history of previous myocardial infarction and 8 (9.75%) with congestive heart failure. Mean ejection fraction was 32.21 +/- 3.6%. On biplane left ventricular angiography 60 (73.2%) cases had two or more akinetic segments and 22 (21.9%) only hypokinesia. Operative mortality rate was 4.9%; perioperative myocardial infarction occurred in 5 patients (6.2%). Mean follow-up was 37.64 +/- 9.23 months and survival rate, including operative mortality, was 91.3%. Among the long-term survivors 89.04% are asymptomatic and in 49% there was a significantly improvement of preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction. We conclude that myocardial revascularization should be performed also in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, because of improvement of quality of life.