title: "H" graft from the right internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending coronary artery: an alternative strategy in reoperative grafting of the LAD territory.
abstract: Reoperative grafting of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery or its diagonal branches can be accomplished through a left anterior small thoracotomy (LAST) on the beating heart using the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) as a conduit. Patients in whom the LIMA has been used previously, however, are generally excluded from this approach unless an alternative technique is utilized. We describe a new technique applicable to these patients that consists of grafting the LAD through a LAST approach and connecting the graft to the right internal mammary artery (RIMA).
authors.affiliation: The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Buffalo General Hospital, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: von Fricken
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: T Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Lajos
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007387:Internal Mammary-Coronary Artery Anastomosis / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D012086:Reoperation; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods