New Hope for 5 to 8 Million Heart Patients in the U.S. Alone.

The latest study shows many more should get bypass surgery.

Until now, most heart patients with some kinds of coronary artery disease were denied coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) because it was thought few would benefit from the expensive and dangerous operation.

However, a long-term study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has shown that a far greater number of patients would benefit from the CABG surgery than previously considered.

CABG improves blood flow to the heart muscle by using implants to bypass the arteries already clogged with cholesterol plaque.

Left Ventricular Dysfunction Patients

In particular, those with left ventricular dysfunction (the left side doesn’t pump properly) and heart failure were thought too risky to perform CABG and since the ’70s they were essentially excluded from anything but pain medication and experienced poor outcomes (they soon died).

It is estimated that by 2030 there will be nearly eight million individuals in the United States alone with left ventricular dysfunction because of advances in the management of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, which may lead to more people surviving mild cases and eventually becoming advanced chronic cases.

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