OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and angiographic usefulness of the composite skeletonized right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) when compared to the radial artery (RA) in total arterial off-pump CABG. METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2003, 189 patients who underwent total arterial off-pump CABG with the composite grafts using RGEA or RA were divided into two groups. The RGEA group consisted of 90 patients (32 female, mean age 61.3 years) and the RA group, 99 patients (27 female, mean age 63.6 years). Serial coronary angiograms were performed in the immediate (median 14 days, n = 108) and early (median 364 days, n = 67) postoperative periods.
RESULTS: Preoperative data were similar among two groups except younger in RA group. There were 4 perioperative deaths (2.1%), 3 in RA group and 1 in RGEA group. The mean number of distal anastomoses was not showed a statistically significant difference (3.23 ± 0.99 versus 3.14 ± 0.89, p = 0.504). Coronary angiogram showed a similar patency rates between RGEA and RA on immediate (97.3% versus 96.4%, p = 0.763) and early (94.1% versus 93.1%, p = 0.279) postoperative periods. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed on 2 patients in RGEA and 3 in RA (p = 0.791) after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate satisfactory results for both the RGEA and RA composite grafts with the ITA in total arterial off-pump CABG. This study also shows that the composite skeletonized RGEA as well as in situ graft could be a useful conduit for CABG.
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