Postoperative graft patency and thirteen perioperative variables were evaluated as potential risk factors for perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) in 102 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Also, the incidence of perioperative MI and the amount of CK-MB released in the postoperative period were compared in three groups of patients selected according to the myocardial preservation technique employed: (1) topical hypothermia with and (2) without aortic cross-clamping and (3) cardioplegia. A perioperative MI as detected by electrocardiogram, enzymes, and myocardial scintigraphy with technetium 99 developed in 15 patients. Most important predictors of perioperative MI were found to be (1) left main and triple-vessel coronary artery disease, (2) a left ventricular end-diastolic pressure greater than or equal to 15 mm Hg, (3) a decreased ejection fraction (p < 0.05), and (4) cardiopulmonary bypass time > 120 minutes (p < 0.01). The incidence of perioperative MI was 50% in patients with three or more risk factors and 7% in those with less than three risk factors (p < 0.001). Graft patency was similar in patients with or without perioperative MI. Differing myocardial preservation techniques did not influence CK-MB release or the incidence of perioperative MI. Thus, the severity of ischemic heart disease and the length of the cardiopulmonary bypass time were important predictors of perioperative MI while graft patency and myocardial preservation technique did not appear to be related to its incidence in this study.