title: The use of arm vein conduits during infrageniculate arterial bypass.
abstract: To further examine the use of arm vein for bypass to the popliteal or infrapopliteal arteries, we retrospectively reviewed 43 patients undergoing infrageniculate arterial bypass by use of an arm vein as a conduit. Nine grafts were done to the below-knee popliteal artery and 34 to the infrapopliteal arteries. Six grafts were done by use of a single segment of an arm vein, whereas 37 grafts were composites of either multiple segments of arm vein (n = 19) or segments of saphenous and arm vein (n = 18). Mean follow-up time was 15 1/2 months. Initial (30-day) graft patency and limb salvage were 95%. Primary graft patency by life-table analysis was 67% at 1 year and 49% at 3 years. Follow-up examination detected graft stenosis before occlusion in six patients (all of whom were given anticoagulant medication) and three failing grafts were salvaged. This increased overall 3-year secondary graft patency to 64% and 3-year secondary patency for infrapopliteal bypasses to 66%. Eleven of 12 graft occlusions resulted in major amputations (eight were above the knee, and three were below the knee) so that limb salvage paralleled secondary graft patency (63% at 3 years). Thus arm veins provide an excellent alternative venous conduit for infrageniculate arterial bypass, even when composite venous grafts must be used.
authors.affiliation: Section of Vascular Surgery, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville 32610-0286.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Harward
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Seeger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000098:blood supply*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000601:surgery*; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016909:Tibial Arteries / Q000601:surgery; D014654:Vascular Patency