“After a bypass can I still have heart blockages?”
I underwent a bypass surgery 5 years ago, and since then, I've started a new diet lifestyle. Is it possible to get heart blockages again?
5 Answers
Yes
Certainly. The disease is a diffuse one. Your LDL should be in the range of 50 mg/dL to have the best long-term outcome.
Yes, possibly you can minimize with controlling risk factors.
Yes, but the risk is low so long as you are not smoking (at all), you are taking a statin, your blood pressure is normal (less than 130/80) on treatment if necessary, your weight is under reasonable control and you are taking some regular exercise.
Julia G. Ansari
Cardiologist
Yes, the vein grafts used for bypass on average are open for 8-10 years. Of course, some of them close earlier and some remain open longer, but you can develop disease in your grafts. It is great that you changed your lifestyle, but there have been definitely cases where patients had bypass and needed to redo it because the grafts closed up.
