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Ann Thorac Surg 1976;21:328-332
© 1976 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Articles

Technique for Using Soft, Flexible Catheter Stents in Aortocoronary Vein Bypass Operations

From the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Accepted for publication June 25, 1975.

^* Address reprint requests to Dr. Ludington, Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, White Memorial Medical Center, 1720 Brooklyn Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033

A technique using soft, flexible catheter stents in performing coronary vein bypass surgery is presented which makes small vessel anastomoses easy and assures accuracy of suture placement with clear identification of the vessel lumen and an anastomosis without stenosis. It provides an essentially bloodless field without having to cross-clamp the aorta.

The technique has been used to our complete satisfaction in all patients since we first started vein bypass operations in 1970. A review of the last 205 elective aortocoronary bypass grafts in 100 consecutive patients using this technique reveals a mortality of only 1% and an operative and postoperative myocardial infarction rate of 5%. About half the patients had left ventricular dysfunction with elevated end-diastolic pressures, and 68% had had previous myocardial infarctions.

Seventy percent of the patients are at present asymptomatic, 24% are improved, and only 4% show no improvement over their preoperative status during follow-up of one to three and one-half years.

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