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Biomedical subjects

G A Kaiser

Publications and source records attributed to G A Kaiser.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Results of direct coronary artery surgery in women.

In the past 4 years, among 260 patients receiving coronary bypass grafts for coronary artery disease and stable angina pectoris, there were 34 women (13 per cent). The operative mortality rate for women was 8 per cent (3 of 34), and one late death due to myocardial infarction occurred in spite of a patent coronary bypass graft. The intraoperative infarction rate was 20 per cent (6 per cent in men). Although preoperative cardiac pump and muscle function parameters were better in women than in men (p less than 0.05), postoperatively only 30 per cent of women showed improvement in function as compared with 50 per cent of men. At 6 to 46 months' follow-up, 84 per cent of women were free of angina in contrast with 94 per cent of men. The early (4 month) graft patency rate was 50 per cent (14 of 27 grafts), as opposed to 80 per cent (20 of 25 grafts) in men. These results indicate that, although coronary artery disease shows anatomic similarity in women and men, the result of coronary revascularization in women is inferior to that in the male population.

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Left main coronary artery obstruction. Follow-up of thirty patients with and without surgery.

Thirty patients, 20 males and 10 females, having a 50% or greater obstruction of the left main coronary artery, were evaluated. Their ages ranged from 40 to 71 years (mean 53.8 years). All patients had angina pectoris, the duration of which varied from 2 months to 20 years (mean 5.4 years). Twenty-four patients (80%) had accelerated angina pectoris; 17 (56.7%) had prior myocardial infarction, and 27 (90%) were found to have coexisting three-vessel disease and abnormal left ventricular contraction. There were no deaths or serious arrhythmias related to cardiac catheterization procedures. In the 11 unoperated patients 5 (45%) died within the first year of follow-up; however, all except one death occurred in patients with diffuse distal coronary artery disease technically unsuitable for surgery. Among the six survivors four were considered surgical candidates. These four patients have continued to have symptoms of angina pectoris with a mean follow-up period of 17.5 months (16 to 20 months). In the 19 patients who underwent aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafting, there was one immediate postoperative death (surgical mortality 5.3%) and one late death. The 17 survivors in the surgical group have a mean follow-up period of 17.3 months (8 to 31 months); 13 of them have clinically improved with 6 being totally free of angina pectoris. Thus, mortality is extremely high in those with poor distal vasculature technically unsuitable for surgery, but mortality is relatively low in patients who have technically bypassable lesions whether treated surgically or medically. Although saphenous vein bypass grafting appears to be more effective in providing clinical improvement, asymptomatic left main coronary obstruction may not justify surgical therapy.

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Role of coronary artery surgery in patients surviving unexpected cardiac arrest.

During the past 3-1/2 years, 101 of 199 patients who were successfully resuscitated by fire rescue squads in the community after unexpected cardiac arrest (documented ventricular fibrillation--VF) were admitted to the hospital. Forty-two of these patients ultimately were discharged from the hospital. However, the intermediate and long-term results were disappointing, for their mean survival after discharge was only 12.7 months. Sudden deaths (recurrent unexpected VF) occurred during the first 12 months after discharge in 28 percent of the patients surviving the initial hospitalization. Among the survivors of sudden and unexpected VF (i.e., survivors of the initial hospitalization), 16 patients who had had pre-existing symptoms of coronary heart disease had hemodynamic and coronary angiographic studies. Of these, 11 were considered surgical candidates. This report concerns the follow-up results in these patients with particular emphasis on the eight patients who accepted surgery and had myocardial revascularization. Five patients had moderate hemodynamic abnormalities, but none had had an acute myocardial infarction at the time of the initial arrest. The group of eight patients had a total of 18 vein graft bypasses performed. The significant findings is that all eight survived operation, and there was one late death at 10 months. The remaining patients are alive at 14 to 34 months, and six are free of symptoms. Despite patent vein grafts, one patient has had a second serious arrhythmia. It is concluded that surgical intervention can be done safely and may decrease the high posthospitalization, recurrent arrest, and mortality rates in selected survivors of unexpected cardiac arrest. It is concluded further that all patients sustaining an unexpected arrest should have postarrest coronary catheterization and angiography, and all patients should be on antiarrhythmic agents whether or not they receive myocardial revascularization.

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