• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.106-116
• /
• 2021

Background: We evaluated the mid-term outcomes and angiographic patency of redo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: Of 2,851 patients who underwent isolated CABG at Seoul National University Hospital from 2000 to 2017, 88 underwent redo CABG. Patients' mean age at redo CABG was 66.0±8.0 years. The mean interval between the first-time and redo CABG was 113.0±62.4 months. The mean follow-up duration was 86 months. Early and mid-term clinical outcomes were evaluated. Angiographic patency rates were evaluated early (1-2 days), 1 year, and 5 years after surgery. Comparative analyses between on-pump and off-pump CABG were also performed. Results: The culprits for reoperation were previous grafts (65.6%), native coronary vessels (17.8%), and both (16.7%). Off-pump CABG was performed in 75 cases (85.2%), and the mean number of distal anastomoses was 1.8±0.8. The saphenous vein (39.7%) was used most frequently, followed by the right internal thoracic artery (28.4%), right gastroepiploic artery (21.3%), left internal thoracic artery (7.8%), and radial artery (2.8%). Operative mortality was 1.1%. The overall survival, cumulative incidence of cardiac death, and cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events were 71.3%,12.0%, and 23.3% at 5 years after surgery, respectively. The overall angiographic patency rates were 95.7%, 90.1%, and 92.2% on early, 1-year, and 5-year angiograms, respectively. The angiographic patency rates of saphenous vein grafts were 93.1%, 85.6%, and 91.3% on early, 1-year, and 5-year angiograms, respectively. No significant differences in clinical outcomes or angiographic patency rates were observed between the on-pump (n=13) versus off-pump (n=75) groups. Multivariable analysis revealed that age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; p=0.005) and chronic kidney disease (HR, 3.85; p=0.001) were risk factors for all-cause mortality. Conclusion: Redo CABG could mostly be performed using the off-pump technique and did not show increased operative mortality and morbidities.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.117-126
• /
• 2021

Background: Several factors, such as the degree of target vessel stenosis, are known to be associated with radial artery (RA) graft patency in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). There is a lack of data regarding the effect of the RA proximal configuration (aortic anastomosis versus T-anastomosis). This study evaluated the effects of the RA proximal configuration on the patency rate and clinical outcomes after CABG. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study, analyzing 328 patients who had undergone CABG with an RA graft. We divided the patients into 2 groups. The primary endpoint was RA patency and the secondary endpoints were overall mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). We performed a propensity score-matched comparison. Results: Aorta-RA anastomosis was performed in 275 patients, whereas the rest of the 53 patients received T-RA anastomosis. The mean age was 67.3±8.7 years in the T-RA anastomosis group and 63.8±9.5 years in the aorta-RA anastomosis group (p=0.02). The mean follow-up duration was 5.13±3.07 years. Target vessel stenosis ≥70% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20-0.91; p=0.03) and T-RA anastomosis configuration (HR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.01-5.19; p=0.04) were significantly associated with RA occlusion in the multivariable analysis. However, T-RA anastomosis was not associated with higher risks of overall mortality and MACCE following CABG (p=0.30 and p=0.07 in the matched group, respectively). Conclusion: Aorta-RA anastomosis showed a superior patency rate compared to T-RA anastomosis. However, the RA proximal anastomosis configuration was not associated with mortality or MACCE.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.225-231
• /
• 2016

Throughout its 30-year history, the right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) has been useful for in situ grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The early graft patency rate is high, and the late patency rate has improved by using the skeletonized GEA graft and proper target selection, which involves having a target coronary artery with a tight >90% stenosis. Total arterial revascularization with the internal thoracic artery and GEA grafts is an option for achieving better outcomes from CABG procedures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.8
• /
• pp.693-701
• /
• 1999

Recently non-invasive diagnostic imaging replaced the invasive catheter angiography in the diagnosis of vascular disease. Catheter methods are now almost confined to the purpose of intervention. Coronary artery or coronary artery bypass graft still needs catheter technique because of small diameter and the cardiac motion. The last challenge for radiologists in this domain is to obtain a non-invasive imaging. Electron beam tomography(EBT) for high temporal resolution is able to obtain a coronary arteriogram or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), of which CABG imaging is quite useful for the evaluation of patency. In our experience as well as others, the accuracy of EBT angiogram in evaluating CABG patency revealed that the accuracy of patency of saphenous vein grafts(SVG) is high due to relatively wide lumen, short and straight course and less influence from cardiac motion. The sensitivity and specificity of patency of SVGs were 92%, 97% respectively in the prospective evaluat on and 100% each in the retrospective evaluation. A false positive and a false negative case are rudimentary errors in the initial learing period. In contrast the analysis of left internal mammary artery(LIMA) graft was difficult due to the inherent small size and the adjacent surgical clips provoking beam-hardening artifact; therefore, the method of combining 3 dimensional reconstruction and flow mode study was important in improving the accuracy of LIMA patency. The sensitivity and specificity of LIMA patency were 100% and 80% in both prospective and retrospective evaluation. Therefore, EBT angiography is an accurate non-invasive diagnostic modality for evaluating the patency of CABG, particularly in SVGs. The accuracy can be improved with the improvement of the EBT and the development of the image reconstruction software.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.313-321
• /
• 2023

Background: This study evaluated the early, 1-year, and 3-year graft patency rates and mid-term clinical outcomes after no-touch saphenous veins (NT-SVs) were used as aortocoronary grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: In total, 101 patients who underwent CABG using NT-SVs as aortocoronary grafts were included. The 2 most common indications for performing aortocoronary grafting with NT-SVs were unavailability of the left internal thoracic artery (n=36) and moderate lesions where flow competition was expected (n=27). Early (median, 1 day; interquartile range [IQR], 1-2 days), 1-year (median, 13 months; IQR, 11-16 months), and 3-year (median, 34 months; IQR, 27-41 months) graft angiography was performed in 98 (97.0%), 84 (83.2%), and 40 patients (39.6%), respectively. The median follow-up duration was 43 months (IQR, 13-76 months). Overall survival rates and the cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events were evaluated. Results: The operative mortality rate was 2% (2 of 101 patients). Early postoperative patency rates for overall and aortocoronary NT-SV grafts were 98.2% (223 of 227 distal anastomoses) and 98.2% (164 of 167), respectively. The 1- and 3-year patency rates for aortocoronary SV grafts were 94.9% (131 of 138) and 90.6% (58 of 64), respectively. The overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 81.7% and 59%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events at 5 and 10 postoperative years was 20.7% and 39%, respectively. Conclusion: The feasibility of using NT-SVs as aortocoronary grafts in CABG was shown in this study, based on the graft patency rates up to 3 years and the mid-term clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.13-24
• /
• 2015

Background: Controversy persists regarding the use of coronary endarterectomy (CE) in patients with severe coronary artery disease. We compared the comorbidities and perioperative characteristics of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with and without CE. Methods: This study was performed in two private hospitals in Shiraz, Iran from May 2010 to December 2011 on 967 patients who underwent CABG without CE and 84 patients who underwent CABG with CE (the CE+ group). After follow-up at $9.66{\pm}3.65$ months post-surgery, 28 patients from the CE+ group underwent angiography to evaluate the patency of grafts and native coronary vessels. Results: Patients in the CE+ group had a more prevalent history of diabetes (48% vs. 36%) and number of diseased vessels ($2.88{\pm}0.39$ vs. $2.70{\pm}0.85$). The overall hospital mortality was 1.8%, and no significant difference was observed between the two groups. In the 28 patients who underwent reangiography, 113 vessels were bypassed and 29 endarterectomies were performed, mostly on the left anterior descending artery (12 endarterectomies) and the right coronary artery (8 endarterectomies). In the endarterectomized vessels, a 66% patency rate was found in both the grafts and the native vessels. The native coronary vessels were more likely to be patent when the left internal mammary artery was used as a conduit than when a saphenous vein bypass graft was used. Conclusion: The lack of a significant difference in postoperative complications in patients who underwent CABG with or without CE may indicate that CE does not expose patients to a higher risk of complications. Since most of the endarterectomized vessels were shown to be patent during the follow-up period, we propose that endarterectomy is a viable option for patients with severely diseased vessels.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.64-72
• /
• 2020

Background: It is generally agreed that using a bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) composite graft improves long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Although the left internal thoracic artery (LITA)-based Y-composite graft is widely adopted, technical or anatomical difficulties necessitate complex configurations. We aimed to investigate whether BITA configuration impacts survival or patency in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Methods: Between January 2006 and June 2017, 1,161 patients underwent CABG at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, where the standard technique is a LITA-based Y-composite graft with the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) sequentially anastomosed to non-left anterior descending (LAD) targets. Total of 160 patients underwent CABG using BITA with modifications. Their medical records and imaging data were reviewed retrospectively to investigate technical details, clinical outcomes, and graft patency. Results: Modifications of the typical Y-graft (group 1, n=90), LITA-based I-graft (group 2, n=39), and RITA-based composite graft (group 3, n=31) were used due to insufficient RITA length (47%), problems using LITA (28%), and target vessel anatomy (25%). The overall 30-day mortality rate was 1.9%. Among 116 patients who underwent computed tomography or conventional angiography at a mean interval of 29.9±33.1 months postoperatively, the graft patency rates were 98.7%, 95.3%, and 83.6% for the LAD, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery territories, respectively. Patency rates for the inflow, secondary, and tertiary grafts were 98.2%, 90.5%, and 80.4%, respectively. The RITA-based graft (group 3) had the lowest patency rate of the various configurations (p<0.011). Conclusion: LITA-based Y composite graft, showed satisfactory clinical outcomes and patency whereas modifications of RITA- based composite graft had the lowest patency and 5-year survival rates. Therefore, when using RITA-based composite graft, other options should be considered before proceeding atypical configurations.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.263-269
• /
• 2020

Background: The benefits of epicardial ultrasound scanning (EUS) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have not yet been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of EUS in CABG, including in the assessment of the quality of distal anastomoses, the identification of epicardial target vessels, and the evaluation of any graft issues other than the distal anastomoses. Methods: Fifty-three patients undergoing CABG were enrolled between March 2018 and February 2019. Intraoperative EUS was performed along with transit-time flow measurement (TTFM). Graft evaluations were performed early (shortly after surgery) and 1 year after surgery for 53 (100%) and 47 (88.7%) patients, respectively. Results: EUS was applied to assess the quality of all distal anastomoses, 32 target vessels, and 2 conduit trunks. Insufficient TTFM findings were obtained for 18 grafts. However, graft revision was performed for only 3 distal anastomoses; based on the EUS findings, the remaining 15 sites were not revised. The early and 1-year overall graft patency rates were 100% (141 anastomoses) and 96.1% (122 of 127 anastomoses), respectively. All 15 of the distal anastomoses that were not revised despite insufficient TTFM results were patent at the 1-year mark. Conclusion: The routine application of EUS in CABG could be beneficial by confirming the quality of surgery and reducing unnecessary procedures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.38 no.5 s.250
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2005

Background: Arterial conduits using in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have been known a great long term patency rates, and improved short and long term clinical outcomes. It has been reported that Off pump CABG has better clinical results than CABG using cardiopulmonary bypass. To evaluate the advantage of arterial conduits over venous conduits and to avoid the adverse effects of cardiopulmonary bypass, we performed total arterial Off pump CABG. Material and Method: From January 2001 to October 2004, Off pump CABG using only arterial conduits was performed on 325 patients with a mean age of $59.3\pm11.9$ years ($36\~83$). Mean ejection fraction was $55.4\pm14.0\%\;(15\~86).$ Angiography showed left main disease or triple-vessel disease in $81.9\%$ of the patients. Indications of using arterial conduits was stenosis $\ge50\%$ of left anterior descending artery, stenosis $\ge80\%$ of branches of left circumflex artery, and stenosis $\ge90\%$ of right coronary artery and its branches. Multi-slice computed tomography was performed on 194 patients to evaluate the short term patency rates. Result: A total of 928 distal anastomoses were performed and the average anastomoses per a patient were $2.86\pm0.78$. There was 1 operative mortality. Postoperative complications were mediastinitis in 6 patients ($1.8\%$), renal failure in 4 patients ($1.2\%$), perioperative myocardial infarction in 3 patients ($0.9\%$), reoperation for bleeding in 3 patients ($0.9\%$). There was no postoperative stroke. Patency rate of arterial conduits was $99.3\%$ (581/585). There were 4 stenoses or competitive flows in 2 radial arteries and 2 right internal mammary arteries. Conclusion: Total arterial Off pump CABG appears to be safe, showing a low surgical mortality and morbidity and excellent short term patency rates of arterial conduits.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.512-517
• /
• 2000

Background: Onlay vein patch coronary angioplasty has been known to be an option for coronary artery stenosis in the selective iesions Material and method: During the period between July 1997 and August 1999, coronary angioplasty using autologous saphenous vein was done on 16 sites in 14 cases for the stenotic lesion at the bifurcation area and significantly stenosis distal to anastomosis. Result: Early patency of the angioplasty site was 85.7% at postoperative day 7. There was no statistically difference in graft patency, operative parameters, and complications compared to conventional anatomosis(p>0.05). Conclusion: Despite the small number of cases, the patency rate of the coronary patch angioplasty was comparable to the conventional CABG. Coronary artery only patch angioplasty could be performed in highly selected coronary arteries.