Coronary reoperations

Abstract

As coronary bypass surgery evolved from a procedure offered to good-risk patients into an intervention that is now applied to a spectrum of patients with many high-risk characteristics, so, too, reoperation for coronary surgery is now applied to an aging population with complicated atherosclerosis and abnormal left ventricular function. Despite our increased understanding of the factors that generate a need for reoperations and some potential avenues for preventing or delaying reoperations, the number of reoperations seems likely to increase. It is clear that the consistency of intraoperative myocardial protection must be improved; however, the favorable long-term results for these patients solidify the role of reoperation as an applicable intervention for patients with severe coronary atherosclerosis.