Saphenous Nerve Sensory Assessment in CABG Patients with Great Saphenous Vein Grafts: A Pre and Post Operative Study

To assess and compare the sensory component of the saphenous nerve in Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with great saphenous vein graft pre and post-CABG. An observational longitudinal study evaluating the effect of surgery on the saphenous nerve involved 32 CAD patients undergoing CABG. This study was carried out jointly by the Department of Physiology and the Department of Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India from November 2022 to January 2024. We performed pre- and post-operative sensory saphenous nerve conduction investigations and then examined their results to look for any alterations in the saphenous nerve following surgery. The average nerve latency of the Saphenous Nerve (Sensory) showed an increase from a minimum of 3.77 milliseconds to a maximum of 5.15 milliseconds, amplitude increased from a minimum of 12.04 microvolt at the pre-operative time point to a maximum of 12.15 microvolt, and conduction velocity of the nerve of harvested side limb decreased from a maximum of 54.28m/s from the the pre-operative value to a minimum of 35.61m/s. These results indicate that the saphenous nerve has sensory changes following CABG surgery. The increased Latency and decreased conduction velocity suggest a temporary or potentially longer-term impairment in nerve function. Despite the minor increase in amplitude, the overall decline in conduction velocity underscores the need for further research into the long-term impact of CABG with GSV grafts on saphenous nerve function and potential strategies for mitigating these effects.