Background: With the increasing population of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in the world and in our country, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been performing more frequently in the young patients. In this study, we aimed to define the preoperative risk factors, mortality - morbidity, and early - mid term results of the patients who underwent CABG under 40 years of age retrospectively and to compare these results with the other populations’ results.

Methods: In the years between December 1992 and February 2001 CABG was performed to 151 patients under 40 years of age. Mean age was 37.0 ± 2.6 (27-39) years and 96% of cases were male. All operations were done with cardiopulmonary bypass. The preoperative risk factors, operative data’s, postoperatively mortality and morbidity values, early and mid term results were defined retrospectively.

Results: Risk factors included 89.8% of patients’ history of smoking, 59.1% of patients’ positive family history. Left internal mammarian artery was used 99.3% of cases as a graft and mean 2.5 bypass per patient were performed. The hospital mortality was 0% and the mean follow up was 49.7 ± 19.3 months. During the follow up 23.8% of cases were admitted to the hospital due to cardiac and 13.8% of cases physiologic symptoms. And also history of smoking was found 26.4% of patients. Mean total cholesterol level of the patients was slightly lower when compared the preoperative level.

Conclusion: Smoking and positive family history are important risk factors for CABG who had been performed under 40 years of age. Although the early postoperative period is uneventful, use of an at least one arterial graft, elimination of major risk factors such as smoking and hyperlipidemia is mandatory; for an uneventful survival and long life expectancy.