The Trend of Increasing Redo Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) in Elderly Male Patients: An Analytical Literature Review

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases pose a great risk to the health of individuals worldwide. These diseases are seen to be increasing in both their incidence and prevalence, mainly in middle-aged people. Although younger individuals are also not completely spared by these diseases, different types of cardiovascular diseases are seen to prevail in different age groups. Cardiovascular diseases are also an important contributor to the world’s mortality and morbidity. Despite the advancements in medical science and technology, there are still some cardiovascular diseases that cannot be cured or treated definitely and completely to ensure the good health status of the patient. In some cases, even if the patient is declared symptom-free, there still remains a risk factor for them to develop the same or an even more exacerbated form of the disease at one or another point in their lifetime. From these observations, it is evident that it is not only the age group or gender that makes a person susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases, but also the presence and prevalence of several other underlying factors that contribute to these causes in some way or the other. Amongst the many leading treatment options for coronary artery disease, a major cardiovascular health risk, Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), is considered to be the definitive treatment option. CABG is also popularly referred to as bypass surgery, and it is a procedure that is done to improve blood flow toward the heart. A CABG surgery is advised when the blood flow to the heart is compromised or reduced. Therefore, bypass surgery is considered to be the definitive treatment plan for all such patients. Bypass surgery is an invasive and complicated surgery, and many risks are associated with it. Sometimes, if the surgery does not go well, or reportedly there is another blockage within the artery after some time of the initial surgery or an occlusion within the ‘graft’. In such cases, it becomes necessary to perform a ‘re-do’ surgery to help get rid of the problem at hand. This review deals with the incidence of re-do bypass graft surgery which has occurred over the years in male patients. This review will deal with the causes, rates of occurrence, and the possible factors that forced the need for a re-do surgery in all these patients. It will also work to explore the complications that make a re-do surgery take place as the only option for saving the life of the patient.