COMBINED MYOCARDIAL REVASCULARIZATION AND ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM REPAIR

Myocardial infarction remains the leading cause of early and late deaths after abdominal aortic reconstruction in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. Our approach for the past 4 years has been combined myocardial revascularization with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in patients with good left ventricle performance. From July 1984 through June 1989, 128 patients underwent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Seventeen patients underwent combined abdominal aortic reconstruction with coronary artery bypass grafting. One patient died (5.9%). The remaining patients are all well at current follow-up. Our experience shows that patients with coronary artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm may have both lesions safely repaired as a single operative procedure.