Aortocoronary-Artery-Bypass Assessment After 13 Years

RECENTLY, Michael E. DeBakey, MD, published a commentary on coronary artery surgery that discussed the Veterans Administration Cooperative Study of Surgical vs Medical Treatment of Stable Angina.¹In his commentary, he challenged the validity of the interpretations of the data from the VA study and made criticisms of the study that merit reply. The published data from the VA study now include a four-year follow-up,²not a 21-month follow-up as stated by Dr DeBakey. The data have been clearly defined in each publication as preliminary, and a final report will not be made until 1980 when all patients in the study have been followed up for five years. The data presented have primarily referred to survival. Reports concerning relief of angina, changes in exercise performance, and other aspects of quality of life are currently being prepared for publication. No VA study publication has ever challenged the excellent sustained