Coronary artery bypass surgery remains an established form
oftreatment for coronary artery disease, and the majority of
coronarysurgical procedures are performed for multiple vessel
disease.Overall, the mortality rate of coronary artery surgery
is low, at around 2%–3% (Keogh and Kinsman 2004),
although this benefit is offset by a complication rate of
20%–30%. Furthermore, post-surgical neurocognitive
impairment is of concern (Wolman et al 1999; Newman et al
2001). PCI has had a dramatic effect on CABG, arresting the
dramatic growth of surgery in the 1980s and shifting the
attention of surgeons to patients with more advanced
coronary disease and extensive coexisting conditions. This
has motivated surgeons to refine coronary revascularization
techniques in order to maximize clinical effectiveness, limit
costs, and reduce invasiveness.
Outcomes of CABG have historically been measured in
terms of mortality and morbidity; however adjustment to
CABG is a multidimensional phenomenon that is not fully
explained by medical factors. When investigating postoperative
adjustment to CABG, it is important to assess
various physical, psychological and social variables as well,
which is increasingly being recognized in recent studies