How do you know when your heart bypass stops working properly?

Hi folks

My father had a triple heart bypass about 9 years ago, he had veins taken out of his leg and arm, apparently he was told that the one from his arm should last longer, which instead of been about ten years can be up to twenty. Anyway now that he is coming up to the ten years mark should he be been monitored in any way? He is not been monitored at all, is this normal? How will we know if the bypass veins are no longer working effectively? Will he start to experience the kind of symptoms that alerted him to the fact that he needed treatment in the first place? Or is there some kind of test/monitoring that he should be having that would alert us of this? Like I say how will we know if the bypass is no longer working properly?

Thanks

[cath911]

There is no fixed rule about the length of time bypass conduits will last. In ten/fifteen years exactly they will not suddenly give out. Some people only have weeks of benefit from a bypass before the conduits close. The best vessels for a bypass are the arteries used from the chest, the lima and the Rima. Arteries last longer than veins because they are stronger. With your Father, if he has normal blood pressure most of the time then the veins could carry on doing very well for years to come, especially if statins or a controlled diet are included. The chest arteries (lima/rima) have shown to have virtually no blockages form even after 20 years. There is no way to know how long veins will last.
So, back to the remainder of your question. When/if veins start to collapse, it is very unlikely that they will all do so at the same time. The odds against this are too high. As a vein starts to block or collapse, your Father will notice symptoms similar to those he probably had prior to his bypass. So, he really needs to listen to his body and any kind of chest pain or shortness of breath, he should report immediately to the hospital to be checked out. Don't bother going to the GP first, go straight to ER. He still has a lot of options should a vein give problems, techniques have come a very long way in the last 9 years. It is normal for a patient to see the surgeon just once after a bypass and if everything is fine, be discharged totally. You are then responsible for going to see an expert should problems surface. There wouldn't be enough cardiologists in the world to monitor all bypass recipients. The last thing your Father needs to do is start worrying about his veins reaching a limit, the anxiety will assist this. If he feels fine, then the veins are doing great. Take each day as it comes and if one starts to fail, he is not likely to suddenly drop down dead. With todays techniques, if a vein fails, maybe they could even reopen his native vessel using angioplasty. Amazing procedures are being performed these days.

[cath911]

I would just like to add something which may reassure you. A good friend of mine had a triple bypass which lasted for around 10 years. Just one vein collapsed and the symptoms were just shortness of breath. She was fine when sitting in a chair and relaxing, but once she tried to walk, it became difficult making her pant. She called the ambulance service and within 24 hours her own blood vessel was cleaned out with angioplasty and 2 stents were inserted. She felt fine again and is back to her normal self.
I have to emphasise however that each case is obviously different but they will certainly produce options.

[BFB145]

Thank you so much for that answer it was really helpful.

[gram82]

My triple bypass lasted four years. I am now back to square one. My Dr. will not put in anymore stints since I hemmoraged after my first one. No more operations for me since I  am 82 years old, but otherwise healthy and look 70. I enjoy my life, but I think it may be short from here on. Not a pessimist{sp} just have to face facts. Good health to all.

[ed34]

Taking your medication, eating healthily, not smoking and exercising regular should keep you on a good track. There is no need to believe things are going to get really bad from here, just avoid stress and take each day as it comes, enjoying it. There is no reason why you still can't beat the world record for old age :)