Radial Artery vs. Saphenous Vein Grafts in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

In a randomized trial, patency was similar in both graft types at 1 year.

Improved outcomes after using the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to bypass the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) suggest that arterial grafts might be better than saphenous vein grafts as conduits for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In this trial, 757 participants (99% men, 42% with diabetes) undergoing first-time elective CABG at 11 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers were randomized to receive either a radial artery or a saphenous vein graft to the best recipient vessel (after preferential LIMA graft to the LAD). The primary endpoint was graft patency, defined as any distal opacification on angiography at 1 year.

In the 73% of participants who underwent 1-year angiographic follow-up, the rate of pa…

Reviewing Author

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)

Beat J. Meyer, MD

Disclosures

Leadership positions in professional societiesBern Heart Foundation (President); International Academy of Medicine, Bern, Switzerland (Director)