Predictive factors for the intermediate-term patency of arterial grafts in aorta no-touch off-pump coronary...

Graft flow is one of the important determinants of the arterial graft patency. To establish the optimal graft design, we examined detailed characteristics of the arterial composite and sequential grafts, and sought to delineate the risk factors of graft occlusion due to insufficient bypass flow.

Angiograms of 2547 bypass grafts in 677 consecutive patients who underwent total arterial off-pump CABG without aortic manipulation followed by early postoperative angiography since December 2000 were reviewed. The angiographic flow was graded as A (antegrade), B (competitive), C (reversal), and O (occlusion).

The overall early graft patency rate was 98.2% (2502/2547). The rate of grade A was 91.3% (2325/2547), while the rates of grades B and C were 2.9% (73/2547) and 4.1% (104/2547), respectively. For the main trunk of the anterior descending branch (LAD), the graft patency rate was 99.3% (674/679). The grade A rate of the internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts to LAD in an individual fashion was 99.5% (203/204), being comparable with that in the sequential or composite grafting which had two distal anastomoses (98.1%, 159/162; p=0.33). The actuarial patency rates at 3 years were 84.7% for the bypass grafts with grade A flow and 33.9% for those with grade B/C flow, respectively (p<0.0001). The multivariate Cox-regression analysis demonstrated that grade B/C (p<0.0001, HR=4.19) and 51-75% stenosis of the native coronary artery (p=0.02, HR=2.86) were significant predictors of graft occlusion.

For the LAD, the results of graft flow in sequential ITA grafting or composite grafting with two distal anastomoses were comparable with that in individual ITA grafting. Prediction and prevention of competitive and reverse flow are mandatory for achieving the advantages of the arterial materials.