Skeletonized bilateral internal mammary artery grafting for patients with diabetes

To minimize sternal ischemia, skeletonized internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting has been performed in the last few years. The benefits of skeletonization in high risk patients, such as diabetic patients undergoing bilateral IMA grafting, are unknown. A total of 99 patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using a pedicled bilateral IMA between 6/1/1997 and 5/31/2000 (group P), and 115 patients receiving a skeletonized IMA between 6/1/2001 and 3/31/2002 (group S). An ultrasonic scalpel was used for skeletonization. The perioperative and early angiographic results of CABG using these two techniques were collected prospectively and compared. There were two (1.7%) perioperative myocardial infarctions in group S and one (1.0%) in group P (P=NS), none of which were related to the IMA graft. The incidence of mediastinitis was one (0.9%) in group S and three (3.0%) in group P, P=NS, however, minor chest wound complications were observed in four (3.5%) in group S, which was significantly less frequent than the 12 (12.1%) in group P (P<0.05). Angiographic control was obtained in 87 patients in group S and 36 in group P, revealing no IMA occlusions in either group. Bilateral skeletonized IMA grafting for diabetic patients is safe and may decrease wound complications.