ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Surgical coronary revascularization remains a state-ofthe-art therapy for cardiac ischemia. Despite scientific and procedural developments that narrow the gap between surgical and percutaneous revascularization strategies, differences in outcome remain, with surgery continuing to demonstrate superior durability and greater long-term cost effectiveness at the expense of greater invasiveness for the patient. Accordingly, it continues to be appropriate for cardiologists to understand the surgical perspective on coronary revascularization with particular attention to the surgeon’s view of preoperative assessment,some aspects of intraoperative decision making, and selected aspects of postoperative care.
