Combined Left Ventricular Aneurysm and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Long-term Results of 100 Consecutive Patients

Forty-four percent of 2,367 patients who had operations for the complications of coronary atherosclerosis between 1971 and 1977 were noted to have major left ventricular wall motion abnormalities. Of this group, 100 patients required left ventricular aneurysm resections or plications (4.2%). There were 85 men and 15 women. Their average age was 52 years (range, 30 to 68 years). Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was required in 95 patients. The operative mortality was 7% and the actuarial survival at six years was 78%. Patients were followed for an average of 31 months (range, 3 to 72 months). Eighty-eight percent of the survivors had excellent or good results with improvement of their functional status to the New York Heart Association classes I and II. Age, congestive heart failure, and poor residual left ventricular function had an adverse effect on the outcome of these patients. Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting seems to have favorably influenced their outcome and functional recovery. Surgical judgment is of great importance in selecting which patients require left ventricular aneurysm resection.