title: Bilateral skeletonized internal thoracic artery graftings in off-pump coronary artery bypass: early result of Y versus in situ grafts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Use of bilateral skeletonized internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) in off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) retains several advantages that may eventually result in better patient outcomes. We compared the early results of OPCAB using bilateral ITAs as Y grafts with results of OPCAB using bilateral ITAs as in situ grafts.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 223 consecutive patients who underwent OPCAB using bilateral skeletonized ITAs as Y grafts (group I, n = 113) or in situ grafts (group II, n = 110) were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the number of distal anastomoses per patient and the number of distal anastomoses per bilateral ITA were higher in group I (3.5 +/- 1.0 and 2.9 +/- 0.7) than in group II (3.0 +/- 0.7 and 2.4 +/- 0.5) (p < 0.01). Hospital mortality was 1.8% (2/113) in group I and 0.9% (1/110) in group II (p = ns). There were no differences in postoperative complications including atrial fibrillation (13.3% vs 10.9%), perioperative myocardial infarction (0.9% vs 2.7%), mediastinitis (0.9% vs 1.8%), and hypoperfusion syndrome (0.9% vs 0%) between groups I and II (p = ns). Postoperative coronary angiographies performed in 110 patients in group I and 108 patients in group II showed 99.0% (382/386) overall patency and 99.4% (319/321) patency for distal anastomoses using ITAs in group I, and 98.1% (312/318) overall patency and 98.1% (258/263) patency for distal anastomoses using ITA in group II. There were no significant differences in graft patency rates between the two groups (p = ns).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that OPCAB using bilateral skeletonized ITAs is technically feasible, with excellent graft patency. Using bilateral skeletonized ITAs as Y grafts increases the number of distal anastomoses that can be performed and does not cause additional postoperative morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Korea. kimkb@snu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Ki-Bong
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang Ree
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Woo-Ik
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Cheong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Byung Moon
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Yong Lak
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency