I had a quad bypass and aortic valve replacement back in 2013. I have been suffering angina for about 5 years now and it is progressively getting worse. Everything in the NHS seemed to progress at a glacial pace so I have taken the plunge and gone private. I had spoken to three cardiologists before going private, but none of them told me about the expectation of the life of the bypasses. They were clear that my mechanical valve should last for life and I assumed the same was true of the bypasses, but the cardiologist who I have just seen privately told me that for someone who had 4 bypasses 11 years ago, he would expect one of them to be failing by now. This came as a bit of a shock. He said if he finds any failing, then it might be possible to stent them, but stents do not last as long as a bypass. I just wondered what people's expectations of the life of these procedures were and were you told about this before you had the procedure? Are these sort of facts only revealed when you go private?
Expected life of a bypass and a stent. - British Heart Fou...
Expected life of a bypass and a stent.
I can't speak about bypasses but I do know that stents do not wear out, although I have seen this claimed before.
What can happen is that the artery that was opened back up by the stent can, over time, begin to block up again. This is not inevitable though, which is why lifestyle changes are really important in avoiding a repetition of what caused the issue in the first instance.
it is probably a function of your lifestyle, medication and general state of health post operation. If you have massively turned your life around and disciplined with medicine, food and health- I cant see any reason why it wouldnt last a long time. Only you can be the best judge of that. I know some people that have lived well into their 90s after aheart event, while others not so long.
Are they going to do some imaging or bring you into the cath lab? If I had progressively worsening angina, I would want to know exactly what is going on. Yes, both grafts and stents can fail and again given your symptoms you wanna find out if that is what is going on.
Jim
Initially, I am having a CT angiogram on10th December, just got the letter today. That is to see if the grafts are still OK. The last one I had on the NHS was in early 2020 and they offered no advice on how frequently I should have these even though they knew at the time that the angina was getting worse. Depending on the results of that, I might have a Stress MRI where they inject something to bring on angina. Not looking forward to that because I have no control of the extent of the angina, whereas I can normally just stop doing what I am doing to reduce the pain. Depending on the results of that, they may take me to the cath lab where again they will induce angina while I have a temperature probe inserted in the heart. They will inject cold saline to see how long it takes for the temperature to change and I think they can tell from that if I have microvascular angina and maybe whether it is possible to stent a closing graft. I am describing all this from memory of the consultation, so I may have got some aspect of it wrong. I should have switched on the recorder that I took with me.
*I can appreciate how you feel. When I had my bypass done in 1999 I was told average life span of the op would be 7 years before needing further treatment. The 7 years came & went in flash and it wasn't until 2015 that I knew something was wrong. Now had about 8 angiograms not all of them resulted in stents but a few did including another 2 in June this year. The stents can "fur" up an it is possible to have stents within stents. Have also had the discussion about having rotablation to clear everything but a heart failure diagnosis scuppered that. Approx 3 weeks ago got whipped away at a very rapid rate of knots because heart rate was desperately low and had a Pacemaker implanted as an emergency. Now back home and wife reckons I look disgustingly healthy.
I have always haad faith in the cardio team who have looked after me over the years and they talk to me normally about things so I understand what goes on. If it weren't for them I would not have been able to enjoy - albeit with some limitations - life for the past 27 years.
Really pleased to hear that Shopman. It shows they tell some patients about the duration of these treatments but not others. Probably depends on the consultant. I just wish they would tell everyone.
Sometimes if you don't ask, you don't get.
I asked about this. I had a triple at 58. The consultant said it took you 58 years to get here so you should be OK for another 58 years. How this fits in with your getting 7 years god only knows 🤷!
I went private, due to NHS cardiology departments being closed during covid.
I think I got two very good consultants, one TAVi expert and one OHS.
I am coming up for five years. Trouble free. And the life span for my Edwards valve seems to be nicely expanding. It will pretty surely see me out.
The consultant spent a lot of time talking me through things before the op.
So I would accept what your consultant tells you. And appreciate the choice of going private.
Sooty
I'm starting to feel like a mug for not going private sooner.
It is very very expensive to go private. I paid £43,000 for my op. Cant carry on at those sort of figures, just a one off.
I wish our government would put 2p on the rate of income tax then fund the health service. Including dentists etc.
Good luck with your journey. When I recovered I had a golden day when I realized I could do everything again. A truly wonderful xperience. About four months post op.
Sooty
Glad to hear about your golden day. I think there is no wealth better than your health and we have just had an inheritance from my brother in law's estate, so I will be using those funds. Unfortunately, he died from heart disease while waiting for tests on the NHS.
A family member had a triple bypass, she lived to 100, surviving over 30 years post operation although angina did return towards the end, perhaps a couple of years.
I never heard any mention of lifespan for the procedure nor was anything said about that for my bypass or stents although I was told 18 years plus for my AVR.
The most important factor is lifestyle, healthy eating, exercise etc,
I had a single stent inserted to open up a severely blocked LAD back in March 2011. I haven’t noticed any deterioration in my condition over the years.
In a coronary artery bypass graft there is some difference in longevity of the graft depending on whether veins or arteries were harvested for the procedure. Here is an article on the subject.
I had a discussion with the NHS cardiologist recently stent or bypass. In which I was informed that stents don’t last as long and as I was relatively young (62 at the time) it may be a more robust and long lasting solution to have a bypass
As it was I ended up having a triple bypass 16 months ago
In all honesty if you buy anything new the last thing they do is highlight that it will wear out
“New tyre, yes of course but you must appreciate it will go bald if you drive it”
Just like any tyre it’s how you drive the car that matters
I wish you well
I had quadruple CABG in July 2023 following Nstemi heart attack. My consultant surgeon said he expected the grafts to give at least 20 years service if not more , if I did my part to keep them clear etc .
We do have the Guinness Book of records World record holder on this forum , Colin might comment later .
.”Within less than a year, at the age of 31, he was in hospital, undergoing triple heart bypass surgery. Although the surgery was successful, it remained uncertain how long he would live, and he was told that he'd be dealing with heart problems for the rest of his life.
Now aged 77, Colin is still going strong and continues to defy expectations. With today (4 August 2023) marking 45 years 361 days since his operation, Colin has been officially certified as the world’s longest-surviving triple heart bypass patient (male).”
hi there, I understand your need to go private, I too went private for aortic valve replacement…,, try the Keyhole clinic in London, Dr Birdie… he is fabulous abc will check you echo cardiogram thoroughly …. NHS suggested I’d be getting bypass too ( while they had me open!) the bypass was not needed…. Private won’t do anything that doesn’t need doing, he also does valve replacement keyhole do much quicker recover time…. Good luck
I was informed my bypass would last on average 7-10 years . I had two heart attacks this year , the tenth anniversary of my triple bypass in 2014 .
I had my Quadruple Bypass in 2015 and was told before leaving hospital that it would last about 10-15yrs. There are some Hearties on here that have gone 20-25yrs. For me it's now 9yrs and it makes me nervous as I can't be Stented as allergic to Aspirin. I have Hereditary Chronic Heart Disease and was sent to a Lipid Clinic where they can tell so much from your bloods and put me on medication for my Liver as it makes too much Bad Cholesterol.
I hope this helps you xx
I had a quad bypass in 2022. I was genuinely shocked by the number of people on my ward in their early 60's who had a bypass/stents within the previous 5/10 years. With one exception they were very overweight and unfit and had done nothing to change their lifestyle thinking the "free" NHS would fix it.
"A pill for every ill" attitude. It is also not helped by having people believe that all their health problems are genetic and inevitable. For the vast majority of people, health outcomes are driven by lifestyle not genetics.
The NHS can not function until the pill for every ill attitude is removed. We can not put enough money into the NHS unless people take far more care of themselves. I live by the sea and constantly see obese or very overweight visitors eating to wild excess.
No honestly its almost 100% genetics, if your family is bald you will be bald, if your familia history is heart disease thats what you likely develop, as in cancer (breast and otherwise) and all the other diseases. There are a few exceptions though very small. I am old enough to have observed these genetic traits continually in friends and family and it is a forwarning to have yourself checked on a regular basis if a familia tendency to any disease is prelevent. The pills have extended peoples lives over the last 50 years so not to be sniffed at.
Our genetics haven't changed much in thousands of years. Many of the chronic diseases we see today rarely existed 100+ years ago. Something has changed, and it isn't our genes.
Yes it has, our life expectancy 100+ yrs ago was in the 40s so we rarely had time for these to develop. We do not have accurate medical data thst far back but most people are down as cause of death as heart failure. thankfully life expectancy has almost doubled with medical technology and medication.
People weren't dying en masse in their 40s. The low average is largely skewed by high infant mortality. By adulthood, people typically lived a long life all things considered.
Reference: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulation....
As you say many diseases are new. Although genetics certainly have a part to play so does guzzling Extra Large Pizzas, Big plates of fish and chips, huge pasties, large quantities of beer and triple scoop choc cones not to mention too many takeaways and food delivered to your door at a whim.
Thats the new generation you are talking about and not us, bacon and cabbage, stews, plenty of seasonal veg and potatoes and the very occasional treat is what we were reared on. What happened to us then🫣😛. Lucky we had good medical knowledge and medication.
A lot of medical proffessionals tell you what you want to hear or tell you nothing at all. I generally go private and was told my stents should last 10years and asked about bypass I got 10-15yrs. They can re-do a stent and also a bypass which all going well can help you start again from new. I would definetely push to find out why I am having angina as that is your red flag at the minute.
Hi, I had a quadruple bypass and a replacement heart valve Nov'21. I was told 10-15 years.
Same sort of thing happened to my husband who after having stents in 2007 was having major problems about 2 years ago. Went to see a cardiologist to find he needed to be re stented.
Yes but is it not great that they can do this type of thing now? imagine what advances will be like in 50 years time.
It sounds like you’re navigating some challenging news, and it’s understandable to feel surprised about this information regarding bypass longevity, especially if it wasn’t communicated earlier.
In general, bypass grafts do indeed have an expected lifespan that varies depending on several factors. The type of graft (e.g., veins vs. arteries) and individual health conditions both play roles in how long a bypass remains effective. Arterial grafts, especially those using the internal mammary artery, can last 15-20 years or even longer, while vein grafts often have a shorter lifespan, with some showing signs of blockage after about 10 years. The mechanical valve, as you've been told, usually does have a much longer expected life, often lasting a lifetime in many cases.
The reality is that bypass longevity isn't always discussed in detail during pre-surgical consultations, possibly because it's expected that patients will come back for monitoring if symptoms arise. It's also possible that the focus was primarily on the immediate benefits of surgery. However, once you’re with a private consultant, these kinds of details sometimes come up more, as private consultations can often allow more time for thorough discussion.
If stenting does become necessary, it's worth noting that newer stents have longer-lasting success rates than older models. The effectiveness of these treatments is generally improving with advancements in stent design and placement techniques.
ChatGPT said
I don't think my Husband asked, or was told. However, he had a quad bypass in 2000 and was discharged. I insisted he had an echo 2016 and he was told he was fine. Still no planned checkups. Early this year he started to get breathless at times. He eventually went to the Emergency Dept as a public patient in July and it was found he had HFpEF and severely leaking mitral and tricuspid valves. After he came home from hospital he didn't feel any better so I arranged for him to see a private cardiologist. To cut a long story short he had a workup for a Mitraclip as he is considered too old for OHS. His grafts were found to be in very good condition and two weeks ago he received two mitraclips on the mitral valve with a very good result and now feels marvellous. He is 89. Mind you once the cardiologist had him on excellent medication which cleared his lungs and treated the heart failure, he already felt much better.
Great result, give my best to your husband.
Thank you. I will. And my very best wishes to you. 🌺
Logically you wouldn’t expect the plaque to build up any faster than it did before, from what I found the plaque is building up from day one and most people don’t have a problem with it for 50 or 60 years, so barring other problems like artery stiffening, as long as you do what most people do after having the scare and the treatment, as in changing your diet to low fat and moderately exercising, then I wouldn’t expect a failure of either stents or bypass in your remaining lifetime, well I hope not anyway having had 4 stents a couple of years ago, no other heart problems and no symptoms before and approaching 70.
I have a quadruple bypass 2 years ago and was told that the veins taken from the legs would last for around 10 years and the one from the chest longer. I was also told that eating a good diet, exercise etc. was essential. If you have CAD then, yes, the arteries can “clog up” again. It is, of course, impossible to predict who will have problems. A friend had a bypass 17 years ago and is still doing fine.
This is a "How long is a piece of string?" question. Where I was working at the time of my bypass a colleague's father was doing well in his nineties having had a bypass over forty years earlier. The company axed me on a pretext 10 weeks after I returned to work after my bypass so no idea how he is now. A friend's brother did not make a year after his bypass as he refused to make any lifestyle changes!
I had a triple bypass 5 months ago .I was told that the bypass in my lad was done with the mammary artery and it would last a lifetime, the other 2 were veins from my legs and they said 10/15 years . My mother had a bypass in 1987 and lived for 29 years after but she did start having some problems after about 25 years. I would happily take the 25 years but time will tell. In the meantime I'm trying hard get weight off ,walk more and get type2 diabetes under control. As others have said its not magic pill and we have to help ourselves too .
Thanks for all your answers everyone, I appreciate it and I think I have a much better idea about this now thanks to you. Hopefully, some of you have learned from it too.
Another thing to consider and be hopeful of is new treatments that might be available in 5/10/15 years etc that can used should things go wrong or fur up again with our stents and grafts 🤞🙂
bleeding internally with warfarin and having a mechanical heart valve 
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