Thanks for your input. That does make sense. But, since I was told there is an average lifespan after the surgery by 2 different Dr.s, it scared me. I guess they've done studies and have stats on how long people live and I want access to the stats somehow. Do you think the American Heart Association would have that?

On Wikipedia it says: ""successful grafts typically last around 10–15 years""

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery

 

I don't know where or from who they would get stats like that from???

I haven't heard of anyone dying from a failed graft.

And tho I'm sure it happens and I haven't heard of it, I've never even heard of a bypass person dying of a heart issue.

 

Lets think about famous people we know that have had bypasses:

 

David Letterman had it 10 years ago, he doesn't look like he is dying.

Larry King had it 23 years ago, and he's now 77yrs old.

Johnny Cash lived after a bypass 15 years, before he died of complications from diabetes.

 

There is just so many factors in it. And doctors are getting better and better at it. There's even newer drugs coming out. There is even a new cholesterol drug in testing right now that is going to be out in 5 years thats several times better then any cholesterol drug we have right now. 

 

Why does it scare you??? Did you have a bypass???

These stats your looking for will tell you nothing, as they will be counting people that are mostly really old and have died of all other heath issues.

 

I had a Quadruple Bypass at age 39. I have NO other health issues. I feel heathly now then I've felt in years. Do you think someone could use stats of mainly 90yr olds with many other health issues and that are not active and still don't eat right, to tell me when I might die?? It just wouldn't make any sense.

Have you even ever heard of a person dying from a failed or expired bypass? With all the people having bypasses, we should hear of people dying of bypasses, but we just don't.

I believe both of your doctors are WRONG.

The problem is that you are looking for an answer based on the information your doctor has given you. You want to know what the life expectancy of the person is, the doctor is telling you the expectancy of the grafts.

 

It's true that grafts last from 10-15 years, but at the end of that time, one doesn't just fall over dead because their heart quits working.

 

If someone is in relatively good health, somewhere between 10 and 15 years later they start having the symptoms of some sort of heart failure - trouble breathing, heart palpitations, or angina. The person goes to the doctor, goes through a heart catherization so the doc can see what's inside, and if you need another bypass, there are enough veins and arteries to do another complete surgery.

 

10-15 years later (my brothers bypass is 17 years old) you might again experience heart problems. At that time, stents will probably be the only answer.

 

However, experiments have now proven that arteries can be grown in a lab from skin cells that can be tricked into thinking they are stem cells designed to make an artery. The current guess is that replacement artery procedures will be available in 10-12 years and common practice in 15-20 years.

 

My first bypass was a quad at the afe of 33. My second was a quintuple at 44. I have had two stents, one when I was 55 and the second when I was 61. I'm on the downhill side to 65 right now.

 

I've lived for 31 years after my first quadruple bypass.

 

Be positive! That, all by itself, is guaranteed to give you at least another five years longer than your most optimistic guess.

 

I didn't think I'd live past 50, but eating fried chicken and gravy with mashed potatoes only three times a year have given me many more years than I anticipated.

 

My goal now is to live to see my 1 year old granddaughter graduate from high school - and after that goal, college - at which time I will be 86 years old!

My cardiologist told me after my triple bypass in 1997 at age 49 that if I ate right and exercised etc. I could expect to be under the surgeons knife again in 10 years, if I didn't do those things then it would be 7 years. I am now 63 and have made some concessions in my eating habits and don't get nearly enough exercise, however I am very heart healthy and have never had angina or any other heart related problems. I do however take all of the medications that I am prescribed including cholesterol and blood pressure meds. Now I would never tell anyone to do the things I do as eating habits and so forth, but, all I'm saying is Dr's don't always have all of the answers as everyone's body is different.

You know the people looking at this question would be people that just had a bypass or just had a love one that just had a bypass, and for people to come on here and see you state how long a bypass will last, is very wrong, when your wrong. You don't know me, and you can't tell me how long my graphs are going to last. A few things you say don't make sense: ""It's true that grafts last from 10-15 years"" ????????? If that's true than how do you explain people living well after that with no other issues??? Not everyone is like you, not everyone is going to have the same issues as you, just because yours only last so long doesn't mean that's the rule. And did you said "quad at the 33", then "quintuple at 44", well did all 4 of the same graphs fail you?? and are you saying you eat right and took care of yourself from age 33 to 44 and you still had at least a 5th clot? then "you had two stents, one when you was 55 and the second when you was 61", that equals "3", well if they only last 10 to 15, wouldn't that mean you would have had to have at least 5 stents by the age of 59??? cause you got 5 graphs at 44 but only got 3 stents since then and that was over 15 years ago. Henry Kissinger had a triple bypass in 1982, that's 30 years ago, and he didn't have a second bypass, he didn't need stents later on, not even one of his 3 failed, and he is still alive and healthy, PLUS, the surgery is done much better today then it was 30 years ago. You even say your brother's bypass is 17 years old. So how can you even say it's true the graphs will only last from 10 to 15 years?? Did your brother go to get another angiogram to tell him how bad his graphs are, seeing he's over his due date?? Do you even have any examples of someone that died due to "failed graphs"? And graphs can be taken from many places, so a second bypass surgery down the road isn't really an issue. I had 4 graphs taken from only one leg, I still have the other leg and two arms believe it or not, so I could even supply enough graphs for more the 3 more surgeries of 5 bypasses each, plus we even have these things call mammary arteries that can be used. There many reasons why people have problem in the future, like not changing their way of life, refusing to eat right, refusing to take meds, refusing to exercise, refusing to see their doctor, refusing to monitor their blood pressure, refusing to monitor their cholesterol, etc etc. And there is many reason why some could live a long life without any troubles after a bypass, if they eat right, exercise, take their meds, that could also have "collateral veins" that grow all over the heart, and sometimes those graphs just simple last a long long long time. We are all different, graphs do not have a date of expiration. They only estimated that a large percent of bypass people die after 15 years, but they die not from failed graphs, but the die off many other issues, mainly because most people have this surgery or around 70 or 80 years old and they were going to die from other issues anyways. I don't mean to insult you, but reading about all your bypasses and stents, I don't think you are talking care of yourself. Do you know your recent cholesterol numbers right off your head??

people everyday  during  bypass surgery 

 

 

 

people everyday  during  bypass surgery dumbass

 

 

 

 

people everyday  during  bypass surgery dumbass

 

 

 

 

I don't understand your comment, but seeing you've posted the same comment 3 times leads me to believe you are a dumb ass.

 

Did you mean people die during surgery? Cause if so that number is very low, less them 5 percent of bypass surgeries end up with a dead person on the operating table. But this question wasn't "during" but it was "after" the surgery.

THANKS FOR THE INFO I hAD A HEART ATTACK CHRISTMAS DAY THANKFULLY SOMEBODY WAS HOME AT THE TIME GOT ME TO UT ON HELICOPTER TRIPLE BYPASS AND VALVE REPAIR i AM DOING FINE WITH MEDICTION ANMDA CARDIAC REHAB I AM 72 YRS OLD I LIVE IN TENN UT  IS UNIVERSITY OF TENN  DRS AND NURSES ARE WONDERFUL   thanks Bill

Good to hear your doing well. Its hard at first, and its a long recovery, but you'll get back to your old self in a year or so.

Here's a video of other bypass people, there's at least one in it also is still alive after over 30 years.

 

 

 

I had a triple bypass 12 years ago at 36 years old.  I had no contributing factors other than genetics with high cholesterol.  I do my best to live well, keep my wt. in check, exercise and take my meds.  I am not perfect but am trying each day, my cholesterol is still to high, I am among the 3% that meds don't quite get me there, but it's better than it was.  I am a female.   It's hard to find survival data on a  young healthy female and the LE, so I take it a day at a time and do the very best I can with each one.   This is a good post because the writers elude to a better drug coming out and the fact that most do not die because of a failed bypass.   I think I have just as much change of a long life as any other person w/o these issues out there, at least I know I have a problem and am taking care of it.  

I've heard a few stories like yours, and when I hear them, they never include any other details. There is a percent of people, that rushed the recovery and didn't give the graphs time to heal?? Others may have been smokers and continued to smoke after surgery?? Some may not have changed how they eat or exercise?? Some may just have a very bad negitive attitude that may effect the heart??  And there are some surgeons that are just not as good as others and don't do a very good job?? Some people don't take their meds. SOme doctors might not put the people on the right meds. And then I agree there has to be a very very small percent of people that everything was done right and still problems occured for no reason. But these percents of failure are very small. Open Heart Surgery is no longer as scary as it still sounds.