My Neighbor Had A Stroke After His Bypass Surgery. Is This Common?

— -- Question: My neighbor had a stroke after his bypass surgery. Is this common?

Answer: In general terms, the risk of stroke after coronary bypass is low. In fact it's in the low single digits if you look at the total population of patients.

However, each individual has their own risk profile, and you may have a higher risk of stroke, for example, if you're of advanced age; older patients have a higher risk of stroke than young patients; if you have disease in the arteries that lead to the brain, the carotid arteries, or if you've had a history of previous stroke.

Individuals with a previous stroke are at a higher risk of a perioperative event.

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