Composite arterial conduits for a wider arterial myocardial revascularization.
From October 1991 to May 1993, 130 patients were submitted to myocardial revascularization using complex preformed arterial conduits. The age ranged from 29 to 75 years (mean age, 60.1 years); 121 patients were male. One hundred twenty-six patients had double- or triple-vessel disease. The mean ejection fraction was 0.53 (range, 0.22 to 0.79); only 6 patients had an ejection fraction less than 0.35. In 6 cases the procedure was a reoperation. We used 360 arterial conduits, 163 of which as free grafts (3 left internal mammary arteries, 16 right internal mammary arteries, 86 inferior epigastric arteries, 57 radial arteries, and 1 right gastroepiploic artery). One hundred fifty-four free grafts were anastomosed to one or both internal mammary arteries and one to a radial artery. We constructed 136 complex arterial conduits (branched, lengthened, or both). In 6 cases a double arterial system had to be used in a single patient. There was no operative mortality, and no inotropic or mechanical supports were used. The overall mortality rate was 1.5%. Early angiographic controls (between the 7th and 15th postoperative days) demonstrated 100% patency; late angiographic controls (at a mean interval of 9.5 months after operation) documented a mean patency rate ranging from 94.1% of the radial arteries to 100% of the left internal mammary arteries and right gastroepiploic arteries. At a mean follow-up of 7.2 months (range, 1 to 15 months) all patients are alive without recurrence of symptoms.