Surgical versus medical treatment for stable angina pectoris: prospective randomized study with 1- to 4-year follow-up.

A prospective randomized study to evaluate aortocoronary bypass was done on 116 patients (56 surgical, 60 medical) who had documented coronary artery disease (70% luminal obstruction in a major artery). The two groups were similar in age and risk factors. All patients have been followed for a mean of 34 months, and recatheterization has been done in 106 of the survivors. Important results show that although most patients in both groups are improved, more surgical patients are asymptomatic (68 vs 8%). Exercise tolerance was better in the surgical group (+94% vs +43%). There was significantly greater evidence of preinfarction angina in the medical group (p less than 0.02), but survival was similar.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes