title: Purely internal thoracic artery grafts: outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most of our patients with coronary artery disease have undergone bypass exclusively with purely internal thoracic artery grafts (PITA). Our goal has been to lengthen the time a patient benefits from coronary bypass operations. The present report describes an 8.5-year study of outcomes including mortality and the need for reintervention in patients who have undergone bypass with PITA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 897 patients who underwent PITA with a total of 3,784 internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts (4.2 grafts per patient). Connecting ITA to ITA along with sequential anastomosis made the procedure possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early mortality for the group was 2.3%. Freedom from death was 86% and freedom from reintervention was 94% at 5 years after the operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The acceptable early and late mortality and the 94% freedom from reintervention as long as 8.5 years after operation in this group of patients inspire us to continue choosing PITA for patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Midwest Heart Surgery Institute, St Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. tector@execpc.com
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tector
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Kress
authors.forename: F X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Schmahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001158:Arteries / Q000637:transplantation*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000637:transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome