Value of anticoagulant treatment after aortocoronary bypass
Lalau, J.D.; Lesbre, J.P.
Annales de Cardiologie et d'Angeiologie 33(7): 441-447
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-3928 PMID: 6391358 Document Number: 237226
The patency of aorto-coronary by-pass grafts was evaluated to be 90 per cent four weeks after the operation, and between 75 and 85 per cent after one year. One of the most important factors responsible for the occlusion of the grafts in the early post-operative period is thrombosis. Thus, postoperative anticoagulant therapy is theoretically fully justified. However, few studies have been performed concerning the effectiveness of such treatment in clinical practice and the results are divergent because of varying methodologies. Nevertheless, Gohlke et al. have demonstrated the real benefit on the patency of grafts, especially in the case of initially low flow in the graft. The authors emphasize the problems which have not been resolved concerning the practical modalities of anti-coagulant therapy and outline their indications following aorto-coronary by-pass grafts.