[Aortocoronary bypass surgery at Tygerberg Hospital, 1978 - 1980].

Between January 1978 and December 1980. 118 patients underwent saphenous vein bypass surgery for obstructive coronary artery disease at Tygerberg Hospital. Sixteen patients in addition to bypass surgery underwent mitral and/or aortic valve replacement or resection of a ventricular aneurysm. The operative and hospital mortality was 3,0% (4/134) for all patients and 3,3% (4/118) for patients who had aortocoronary bypass surgery as the sole procedure. Follow-up of the surviving patients for a mean period of 16,4 months revealed a low incidence of late myocardial infarction of 3.6% (4/112) resulting in the death of only 1 patient; 89.1% of patients were free of angina pectoris and the majority of these resumed their normal work or enjoyed their retirement.