After your coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), you should feel relief from most of your symptoms, such as chest pain.
Research has shown that 83% of people are free of heart-related symptoms for five years, and 63% for 10 years after the procedure.
However, over time, other arteries or even the grafted arteries may become clogged. This means you will need another CABG or an angioplasty (where the blood vessels are inflated). Four in every 100 people need another bypass operation or a coronary angioplasty within a year.
CABG is not a cure for coronary artery disease. To get the most out of the procedure, try to live a healthy lifestyle and make sure you take any prescribed medication as directed by your GP.
Long-term results
As CABGs were not routinely performed until the 1980s, it has been difficult to assess how successful they are in the long term.
This is now beginning to change as information is becoming available on people who had surgery 30 years ago.
One study carried out in Holland found that the average life expectancy after surgery was just under 18 years.
This figure is probably an underestimate of the current average life expectancy due to advances in surgery and the introduction of new medications such as statins.
