Benefits from aortocoronary bypass graft
H. D. McIntosh
The first aortocoronary bypass graft (ACBG) for coronary heart disease
(CHD) was performed in 1964. From 1967 to the summer of 1977, between
250,000 and 300,000 such procedures were performed in this country. With
such extensive experience, the patient might expect that most questions
regarding the effectiveness of the procedure in the treatment of CHD would
have been answered. Unfortunately, this is not the case. After a decade of
experience, all that is truly known about the procedure is that for most
patients, it does improve the quality of life and, if present practices
continue, will add greatly to the cost of medical care in this country. It
appears that there is still a need for more randomized, controlled studies.