Long-term patency of saphenous vein and left internal mammary artery grafts after coronary artery bypass surgery

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2004-12, Vol.44 (11), p.2149-2156
• Main Authors: Goldman, Steven, Zadina, Karen, Moritz, Thomas, Ovitt, Theron, Sethi, Gulshan, Copeland, Jack G., Thottapurathu, Lizy, Krasnicka, Barbara, Ellis, Nancy, Anderson, Robert J., Henderson, William
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2004.08.064

This study defined long-term patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) and internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts. This VA Cooperative Studies Trial defined 10-year SVG patency in 1,074 patients and left IMA patency in 457 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Patients underwent cardiac catheterizations at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 10 years after CABG. Patency at 10 years was 61% for SVGs compared with 85% for IMA grafts (p < 0.001). If a SVG or IMA graft was patent at 1 week, that graft had a 68% and 88% chance, respectively, of being patent at 10 years. The SVG patency to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) (69%) was better (p < 0.001) than to the right coronary artery (56%), or circumflex (58%). Recipient vessel size was a significant predictor of graft patency, in vessels >2.0 mm in diameter SVG patency was 88% versus 55% in vessels ≤2.0 mm (p < 0.001). Other positive significant predictors of graft patency were use of aspirin after bypass, older age, lower serum cholesterol, and lowest Canadian Functional Class (p < 0.001 to 0.058). The 10-year patency of IMA grafts is better than SVGs. The 10-year patency for SVGs is better and the 10-year patency for IMA grafts is worse than expected. The 10-year patency of SVGs to the LAD is better than that to the right or circumflex. The best long-term predictors of SVG graft patency are grafting into the LAD and grafting into a vessel that is >2.0 mm in diameter.