title: Free internal mammary artery for coronary bypass.
abstract: An improved technique of free internal mammary artery (IMA) to ascending aorta anastomosis for coronary bypass is described. A small patch vein with a suitable side branch or branches is interposed, connecting the proximal end of a detached IMA to the ascending aorta. A single or double free IMA alone or in combination with an additional saphenous vein graft was performed in 77 patients. A total of 125 free IMA grafts were done. The hospital mortality was 2-7% and late mortality 1-4%. Seventy-one of the 74 surviving patients had no angina and returned to a normal life. Postoperative coronary arteriography in 65 patients showed a patency rate of 96%. On year's experience with this technique is very encouraging. However, prolonged follow-up is necessary to determine if free IMA, as used by us, will increase the long-term patency rate.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000150:complications; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous