High early patency of saphenous vein graft for coronary artery bypass harvested with surrounding tissue.
BACKGROUND
Surgical trauma to the saphenous vein, used as a conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting, affects their occlusion rate. This study evaluates the early patency of saphenous vein grafts harvested with a pedicle of surrounding tissue that protects the vein from spasm and trauma.


METHODS
Fifty-two patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with saphenous veins harvested with surrounding tissue. Forty-five patients, who received a total of 124 vein grafts and 42 left internal mammary arteries, underwent angiographic follow-up at a mean of 18 months (9 to 24 months).


RESULTS
Patency for saphenous vein grafts was 95.4% and for left internal mammary arteries, it was 93.3%. Twenty-nine of 30 (96.7%) vein grafts anastomosed to arteries 2.0 mm or more, 65 of 67 (97%) grafts to 1.5 mm, and 10 of 13 (77%) anastomosed to 1-mm arteries were patent. Nineteen of 22 (86.4%) vein grafts with flow rates 20 mL/min or less, 32 of 34 (94.1%) with flow between 20 and 40 mL/min, and 50 of 51 (98%) with flow more than 40 mL/min were patent. Other registered surgical and clinical factors did not contribute to vessel occlusion.


CONCLUSIONS
Early patency rate of saphenous veins harvested with surrounding tissue is very high, even in saphenous vein grafts demonstrating low blood flow. Preservation of graft endothelium using our harvesting technique may be the explanation of this success.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Orebro Medical Centre Hospital, Sweden. domingos.souza@orebroll.se
D S
DS
Souza
V
V
Bomfim
H
H
Skoglund
M R
MR
Dashwood
J W
JW
Borowiec
L
L
Bodin
D
D
Filbey
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D014654:Vascular Patency