Randomized trials directly comparing angioplasty with bypass surgery for complex multivessel disease are under way. Preliminary results suggest that angioplasty can be effective in some patient groups, so that neither procedure will predominate. The early results also suggest criteria to guide physicians in selecting the most appropriate method for individual patients.
Most postoperative needs can be handled by the primary care physician. In particular, attention should be given to signs of allograft rejection, opportunistic infection, side effects from immunosuppressive agents, interactions between newly prescribed and established drugs, and immune-induced coronary artery disease.
The latest developments include an anti-HIV antibody that has 1,000 times the affinity of natural antibody and that neutralizes primary clinical isolates, and an anti-RSV antibody that reduces viral titers in mice by 12,000-fold within 24 hours.