I forgot to mention that the surgeon was unable to use her mammory artery due to excessive scar tissue and previous damage. Thanks for your reply.
neener99,
Thanks for your questions.
The first part of your question,"how long do bypasses last?", can be answered in several ways. In regards to the actual grafts themselves, we have some data: In one series of 3220 patients undergoing total arterial coronary revascularization, angiographic graft patency at five years was 97 and 89 percent for the left and right internal mammary artery. Ten or more years after surgery, patency for a left internal mammary artery to anterior descending coronary artery graft is still approximately 90 percent, in contrast to vein grafts which tend to deteriorate after the fifth to seventh postoperative years. By ten years, approximately 50% of the vein grafts may be occluded.
A second way to answer your question would be to say that from the BARI trial (the largest bypass trial), 95% of CABG patients were alive at 5 years, and 92% had not required any further revascularization.
What you and your family need to do is have close medical follow-up. Furthermore, make sure you see health care professionals that can provide expert medical opinions. Exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle are both associated with a much lower mortality in the general population -- these two things are the most underused tools for reducing our risk of death. Many adults will need to clear an exercise regimen with their doctor before starting.
Good luck.