Aorta-coronary bypass grafting with the internal mammary artery: clinical experience in 70 patients.

Clincal and angiographic results in 70 patients who received free internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts are reviewed. One postoperative death occurred, but it was not related to the free IMA technique. Forty-seven patients underwent postoperative arteriography. The average interval between operation and catheterization was 10.7 months, and the patency rate for 49 free IMA grafts was 89.8 per cent. Of the 29 patients who recieved free IMA grafts as the only revascularization procedure, 21 patients (80 per cent) progressed to Functional Class I and only 5 patients did not have improvement in their functional status.