The radial artery in coronary surgery: a 5-year experience--clinical and angiographic results.
BACKGROUND
The radial artery (RA) has been used extensively by us as a way of reducing the use of the saphenous vein. It has been hoped that the RA will maintain greater late patency than the saphenous vein. We evaluated our initial 5-year experience with the RA in coronary surgery.


METHODS
We studied 6,646 consecutive patients who had a single RA (4,872), or bilateral RA (1,774), as coronary grafts, from June 1995 to June 2000. Angiograms were performed mostly in symptomatic patients, or as part of a research project in asymptomatic patients.


RESULTS
The patients' mean age was 65.1 years; 23% had diabetes, 14% had unstable angina, and 42% had prior myocardial infarction. An average of 3.3 grafts per patient were performed, 87% from arterial conduit. Conduits used were RA (8,420), left internal thoracic artery (6,296), and right internal thoracic artery (1,076). Operative mortality occurred in 58 (0.9%) patients, stroke in 92 (1.4%), deep sternal infection in 97 (1.4%), reoperation for hemorrhage in 56 (0.9%), and myocardial infarction in 52 (0.8%). Peak mean postoperative creatine kinase MB (CKMB) was 16.5 IU/L. Two patients developed fingertip ischemia. Postoperative angiographic RA patency was 90.2% (333 of 369 distal anastomoses).


CONCLUSIONS
Good early clinical and angiographic results can be achieved by using the RA in coronary surgery.
Tatoulis
James
J
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Melbourne and Epworth Hospitals, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. james.tatoulis@mh.org.au
Royse
Alistair G
AG
Buxton
Brian F
BF
Fuller
John A
JA
Skillington
Peter D
PD
Goldblatt
John C
JC
Brown
Robin P
RP
Rowland
Michael A
MA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000637:transplantation*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome