title: The axillocoronary bypass. Blood flow and short-term graft histology in a porcine model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bypass grafts arising from the axillary artery may be indicated for complications during minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting, for redo operations and for management of a severely atherosclerotic ascending aorta. As basic data research on this technique is scanty, we investigated intraoperative function and postoperative morphology of axillocoronary bypass grafts in a porcine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen German domestic pigs received an axillocoronary vein graft (Group I, n=7) or an aortocoronary vein graft (Group II, n=6) to the left anterior descending artery. In Group I the proximal anastomosis was performed to the left axillary artery, and after partial rib resection the graft was brought transpleurally to the target vessel. In both groups the coronary anastomosis was carried out on the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass. Graft flow was measured using transit time ultrasonic flow probes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraoperatively all grafts showed a typical diastolic flow profile. Stable graft flow was lower in axillocoronary bypass grafts: 47 (30-60 mL/min) in Group I and 65 (35-126 mL/min) in Group II (p=0.005). Flow given as percentage of cardiac output, however, did not differ between the two grafts: 0.9 (0.6-1.2%) in Group I and 1.2 (0.8-2.4%) in Group II (p=NS). At day 4 after surgery there was no clear histologic predilection site for microtrauma and early degenerative changes in the axillocoronary graft.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Axillocoronary bypass flow compares well with flow in the aortocoronary graft. Microtrauma after implantation and early degenerative changes in the axillocoronary vein bypass are not particularly impacted by the thoracic entry site.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery/Cardiac Surgery, Innsbruck University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria. johannes.o.bonatti@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bonatti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hangler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oturanlar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Posch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sieb
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salvador
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krismer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voelckel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lingnau
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mairinger
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Coulson
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001366:Axillary Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D013552:Swine