The present study sought to improve on previous studies of open-heart surgery patients by taking a broad view of outcome/recovery. A group of male coronary artery vein graft ('CAVG') patients were followed through from time of referral to six months post-surgery and changes in physical, psychological and social functioning were monitored. The relationships between the different areas of functioning were also examined. Two aspects of psychological function, namely intellectual performance and mood, and three aspects of social function, namely social/leisure, family and work activities, were assessed. Additionally, the beliefs and experiences of the subjects and their spouses relating to the development of heart disease and to recovery from surgery were explored. A single-case research design was used in order to examine and, where possible, explain individual differences in terms of specific patterns of functioning before and after surgery. For the group as a whole, pre- to post-surgery improvements were found in physical functioning and in mood, whereas social/leisure, family and work functioning were apparently unaffected. Post-operative intellectual performance, as measured with a battery of standardised neuropsychological tests, was unimpaired in most cases. There was scare variation in outcome, however, and close examination of the individual cases revealed the importance of such factors as family relationships, social 'buffers', denial and 'hopelessness' in determining the reaction of the individual to the surgery. The findings of the present study were considered to have implications for both further research and for pre- and post-operative interventions with this patient group.