Introduction The invasiveness of coronary surgery has remained largely unchanged since its initial introduction. Although sternotomy is still considered the gold standard incision for various cardiac conditions, there is still…
Introduction While percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) have tremendously evolved since the first balloon angioplasty in 1977 , with the development of bare metal stents in 1987, the subsequent introduction of…
General aspects The word anastomosis comes from the combination of two Greek words: Ana and Stoma. Ana is a prefix and means on, upon, or against. A stoma is a…
Introduction The left internal mammary or thoracic artery (LIMA or LITA) to left anterior descending (LAD) anastomosis has been demonstrated to improve survival and freedom from adverse cardiac events with…
Introduction With the recent and rapid advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents, the number of high-risk patients with several comorbidities referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)…
Introduction There are two reasons to construct “baby Y grafts.” 1. to allow distal graft to coronary anastomosis to be constructed in the best possible site in the coronary (vessel…
Introduction The most common conduits used during coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) include saphenous venous grafts (SVGs), internal mammary artery (IMA), radial artery (RA), and gastroepiploic artery (GEA) . Regardless…
Introduction Notwithstanding the increasing number of interventional coronary procedures performed worldwide, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) still remain the treatment of choice for patients with moderate to complex coronary artery…
10 essential principles when constructing a coronary anastomosis 1. Avoid any manipulation of the endothelium. 2. Use both hands: for a right-handed surgeon, the left hand provides exposure while the…
Introduction The traditional method of open vein harvesting (OVH) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with a single longitudinal incision on the lower extremity along the course of the greater…
