Early and long-term outcome after emergency coronary artery bypass surgery after failed coronary angioplasty.

From April 1980 to January 1990, among 2,576 percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures, 100 patients (82 men and 18 women; mean age, 54 +/- 10 years [3.9%]) underwent emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Before PTCA 56 had unstable angina, 34 had prior myocardial infarction, and 60 had single-vessel coronary artery disease. The mean time period from the onset of ischemia to surgical reperfusion was 147 +/- 16 minutes; 155 grafts were placed (1.5 grafts per patient). In-hospital mortality was 19%; operative mortality was significantly related to older age (59 +/- 9 versus 53 +/- 10 years, p less than 0.05), presence of unstable angina (74% versus 53%, p less than 0.05), and development of cardiogenic shock or necessity of cardiac massage before surgery (53% versus 16%, p less than 0.0001). In addition, 57 patients developed a Q wave myocardial infarction. For hospital survivors, overall survival at 7 years was 94% (Kaplan-Meier method), with three cardiac deaths during follow-up; two additional patients had late myocardial infarction, and four had late PTCA. At a mean follow-up of 55 +/- 38 months, 78% of the patients had no chest pain, and 80% reported no dyspnea. All patients received antiplatelet agents or oral anticoagulants; 34% had no antianginal medications. Among the 40 previously employed patients, 73% resumed work after surgery. All patients with cardiogenic shock or cardiac massage who survived the initial hospital period were alive at follow-up. After an initial critical period, the long-term clinical outcome of patients with emergency coronary bypass surgery after failed PTCA is satisfactory.