Bypass Surgery complications

  I am a 57yo female. I had double by-pass heart surgery in Nov 1997. An angiogram a week ago seemed to show 3 arteries, including the 2 new bypasses, to be closing down (becoming restricted). What can cause this and what are my treatment options for this new condition?
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Dear Marge:
Bypass surgery is not a cure for coronary artery disease, just a temporary fix.  The same disease process that affected your own heart arteries (and prompted the surgery in the first place) can affect the bypass grafts.  However, the temporary fix usually lasts a few years.  I suspect that you have very aggressive coronary artery disease, which is why you needed surgery at a (relatively) young age and which is why your bypass grafts are now diseased.
What needs to be done depends on your symptoms, how bad the blockages are, and the results of any stress test that may have been obtained.  In any case, your risk factors for heart disease need to be tightly managed.  If you smoke, you must stop.  If you are diabetic or hypertensive, you should be on medications for these conditions.  If your bad cholesterol is even slightly high, it needs to be treated with medicine.  If you are post-menopausal, thought should be given to hormone replacement therapy.
If the blockages are severe, repeat bypass surgery is an option.  Angioplasty is potentially an option, depending on the nature of the blockages.  Good luck, and write back with any further questions.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F25.

[Kodi1]

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