title: Patency of vein graft anastomoses facilitated with the hexalon device.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Hexalon system (Castlewood Surgical, Inc, Dallas, TX) is a new device that facilitates a clampless, hand-sutured, vein-to-aorta anastomoses in no-touch off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Hexalon-facilitated anastomoses are structurally equivalent to traditional sutured anastomoses, but can be placed during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. It follows that these facilitated anastomoses would show similar patency rates to traditional sutured anastomoses. This is the first published data validating mid-term patency of Hexalon-facilitated anastomoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evaluation of bypass grafts by cardiac computed tomography angiography is highly accurate and has increasingly been used to assess graft patency in anastomotic device feasibility trials. We studied 15 proximal Hexalon-facilitated anastomoses for patency in 10 patients at least 6 months after off-pump coronary bypass surgery using gated cardiac computed tomography angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 15 facilitated anastomoses were patent. All 10 CT studies were of sufficient quality for accurate interpretation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Hexalon system is a new and potentially valuable tool in advancing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Baylor University Medical Center/Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, Dallas, Texas 75226, USA.
authors.forename: Ramy F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Ayad
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Bhella
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Dockery
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schussler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000601:surgery*; D047549:Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency