"My dad lived for 16 years after having a quadruple bypass. I remember him describing the procedure as ""cabbage"", which was an acronym for the operation. I also seemed to recall that the mean survival rate was 15 years -- but I am not certain.

Also, the procedures for the operation have probably changed in the 20 plus years that my dad and the gentleman in the story had their operations. Certainly the drugs used and the post-operative care have changed in the intervening years. One would expect that the life expectancy to have increased for those who have the procedure in this century.

I wasn't sure how search this topic properly, but perhaps someone has access to the medical data for the mortality rates on different age groups and sexes. I would be interested to know it"