OPERATIONS FOR CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Abstract

The history of coronary artery disease may be divided into three periods. The period of clinical recognition dates back about 40 years. Although there were earlier descriptions of angina pectoris and coronary artery disease, there was little general interest in this subject prior to 1918. The electrocardiogram, which was introduced in 1903, became the dominant factor in diagnosis. Many refinements in diagnosis have been made, and these, together with the administration of oxygen, bed rest, and various drugs, generally comprise the thought and activities of this period. The period of revascularization began in the experimental laboratory in 1932 and has received slow but steady recognition. It is based on the direct approach to the coronary blood supply itself. Many isolated items of information obtained in the laboratory are now integrated as the basis for new concepts concerning this disease, including the following facts: 1. A few additional cubic centimeters of