Influence of aortocoronary bypass surgery on employment.

Aortocoronary bypass operations are expensive. Economic benefit might be derived if such operations influenced the ability of persons with symptomatic coronary artery disease to be employed. Follow-up data were obtained for 329 survivors of bypass operations 2 to 60 months (mean, 22.9 months) postoperatively; 178 had been working prior to the operation and 213 were working at the time of follow-up, for a net gain of 35 employed patients. Therefore, bypass surgery does lead to a small but significant increase in the proportion of angina patients who are employed.