Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can be treated with thrombolysis or coronary catheter intervention; surgical treatment--coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)--is reserved for the patients in whom other procedures have failed. We performed CABG in 47 patients during the evolving phase of AMI, and analyzed their short-term and long-term results.
Methods: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were analyzed in patients who underwent emergency CABGs for AMI between January 1, 1992, and July 31, 1998. CABGs performed more than 7 days after AMI were excluded from this study.
Results: The subjects were 47 patients (33 males and 14 females) with AMI who were treated by emergency CABG. Intraaortic balloon pumping was used in 44 cases and percutaneous circulatory pulmonary support was used in 3 cases. The mean interval between the onset of AMI and surgery was 27.4 +/- 27.9 hours. The mean number of bypass grafts was 3.0 +/- 1.1, and at least 1 arterial conduit was used in 45 cases (95.7%). Aortic clamp time, pump time, and operative time were 64.7 +/- 31.7, 117.3 +/- 55.2, and 313.2 +/- 84.8 minutes, respectively. IABP or percutaneous cardiopulmonary support were removed in the intensive care unit (ICU) 30.0 +/- 28.9 hours after CABG. The patients were extubated 41.4 +/- 40.5 hours after surgery, remained in ICU for 4.7 +/- 2.7 days, and were discharged from the hospital after 27.0 +/- 22.5 days. Three patients died from multiorgan failure related to postoperative sepsis, and 8 cases of major complications were observed. The actuarial 5-year survival rate of the patients treated with CABG was 83.0%.
Conclusions: Surgical treatment in the unstable patients after AMI can be performed with acceptable risk. Arterial revascularization may contribute to improvement in long-term results.