Coronary artery bypass operation in septuagenarians.

Increasing numbers of patients more than 70 years old are at risk from coronary artery disease. The continued success of coronary artery bypass operation in selected patients provides impetus for applying this procedure to older patients as well. Our results indicate coronary artery operation is effective in older patients and has a low mortality (3% in our series). In patients in this age group, coronary artery operation can be combined with other procedures, when indicated, such as cardiac valve replacement or repair, left ventricular aneurysmectomy, carotid endarterectomy, and cholecystectomy.