Abstract
In recent years the following knowledge in the treatment of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) has been continuously consolidated: coronary bypass surgery remains the gold standard for treatment of complex stable CAD, especially for three-vessel disease with or without involvement of the main stem. According to current data it is the only treatment option with the potential to prolong life expectancy. Therefore, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may be performed for prognostic reasons. The newly published 2018 guidelines on myocardial revascularization place more emphasis on the differentiation between CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). For the first time the guidelines give recommendations for operative details of the revascularization procedure. This literature review focusses on the surgically relevant aspects and also briefly summarizes the relevant information on new diagnostic tools and the role of pharmaceutical treatment. The relevant publications in 2018 addressing surgical revascularization can be categorized as 1) PCI vs. CABG, 2) new diagnostic methods for CABG, 3) the role of drug treatment in CABG and 4) technical aspects of CABG.