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Ann Thorac Surg 2009;87:1409-1415. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2009.02.018
© 2009 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
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Original Articles: Adult Cardiac

Transit-Time Blood Flow Measurements in Sequential Saphenous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts

Håvard Nordgaard, MDa, Nicola Vitale, MD, PhDa, Rune Haaverstad, MD, PhDa,b,c,*

a Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Bergen, Norway
b Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, University of Bergen, Norway
c Institute of Surgical Sciences, The Medical Faculty, University of Bergen, Norway

Accepted for publication February 9, 2009.

* Address correspondence to Dr Haaverstad, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, N-7018, Norway (Email: rhaavers{at}online.no).


Drs Nordgaard and Haaverstad disclose a financial relationship with MediStim ASA.

 

   Abstract
Top
 Abstract
Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Results
 Comment
 Acknowledgments
 References
 
Background: Little information is available on transit-time flow measurements of sequential saphenous vein grafts. The aim of the study was evaluation of mean blood flow and pulsatility index of sequential saphenous vein grafts in a large population of patients operated on with coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: In 581 patients 1,390 grafts were nested into left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending artery, single vein grafts, or double and triple sequential vein grafts, and analyzed.

Results: Within the single vein graft group there were no differences between flow of grafts to different target vessels except for diagonals (diagonal versus obtuse marginal, p < 0.001; versus posterior descending artery, p = 0.035; versus right coronary artery, p = 0.003). Flows measured in single vein grafts were significantly lower than in double (p < 0.001) and triple sequential vein grafts (p < 0.001). Flows were lower in double versus triple sequential vein grafts (p = 0.017) and higher in men versus women (p < 0.001). Mean pulsatility index of vein grafts were lower in the left versus the right coronary system, 2.0 ± 0.01 and 2.4 ± 0.06, respectively (p < 0.001). Between sex and groups of vein grafts within each coronary system, mean pulsatility index had similar values.

Conclusions: Blood flow increases from single to double and up to triple sequential grafts. Single grafts directed to diagonals have the lowest flow. Graft blood flows are higher in male versus female patients. Single, double, and triple saphenous vein grafts have similar pulsatility indexes. Pulsatility index of grafts to the right coronary system is significantly higher than that of grafts to the left coronary system.

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is an established treatment for angina pectoris of ischemic origin and can increase life quality and expectancy as well as reduce ischemic complications [1, 2]. Long-term results depend on the patency of grafts [3]. Vein grafts show poor long-term patency and limit the long-term success of CABG. Approximately 60% to 70% of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) will be narrowed or closed down within a decade; in contrast, 90% of internal mammary artery grafts remain patent at 10 years [4–6].

Angiography is still the gold standard for intraoperative graft assessment, but it is rarely carried out routinely because of logistics and lack of time. Nowadays, transit-time flow measurement is the most common method for intraoperative assessment of CABG. Several studies have reported blood flows in arterial and saphenous vein graft (SVG) by transit-time flowmetry [7–12]. Nonetheless, little information is available regarding sequential SVGs, which together with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD), are still the routine conduits for surgical myocardial revascularization.

To assess the performance of sequential SVGs, a comparisons of mean blood flows and pulsatility index (PI) of single versus sequential SVGs was carried out by the retrospective analysis of results obtained in a large population of patients operated on with CABG by a single surgeon.


   Material and Methods
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
Results
 Comment
 Acknowledgments
 References
 
From 2000 to 2005, 595 consecutive patients were operated on by the same senior surgeon (R.H.). Routine transit-time flow measurements of all grafts were carried out at the end of the procedure as a quality control. Patients' clinical characteristics are presented in Table 1. The grafts considered for analysis were LIMA to LAD, single SVG, and double and triple sequential SVG. Altogether, 347 (60%) patients received a sequential SVG.


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  		Table 1 Patients' Clinical Characteristics a
 
Of the 595 patients, 14 patients (2%) were excluded from the analysis because of missing data. In the remaining 581 patients, a total of 1,552 grafts were constructed. Of these, 162 grafts (10%) were excluded from further analyses: 15 grafts with a mean flow less than 15 mL/min and PI greater than 5 as a result of a poor peripheral vascular bed (2 sequential SVGs, 3 LIMA-LAD, 10 single SVGs) [13], 10 grafts made of different (right internal mammary artery, radial) or composite (Y graft, quadruple sequential SVG) conduits, and 137 grafts with incomplete flow data. Thus, the analysis was carried out on 1,390 grafts.

All data were entered into a single clinical database according to the regulation of the Norwegian Social Science Data Services. The local ethical committee granted approval to this study on the basis of a quality control; therefore no informed consent was required.

Operative Technique
The approach to the heart was through a median sternotomy in all cases. A pedicled LIMA was harvested by diathermia. The greater saphenous vein was stored in heparin solution with 0.05% papaverine after harvesting. Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed with moderate hypothermia (34°C). The heart was arrested by infusion of antegrade and retrograde crystalloid or cold blood cardioplegia. In off-pump operations the target vessel was snared with 4-0 pledgeted polypropylene suture (Prolene; Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) proximal to the coronary arteriotomy. After 3 to 5 minutes of ischemic preconditioning, the snare was released and an epicardial stabilizer applied to pull the heart and immobilize the vessel site chosen for grafting. After arteriotomy an intracoronary shunt (CardioThoracic System, Cupertino, CA) was positioned into the vessel lumen.

Grafting was attempted on all vessels measuring 1 mm or more in diameter with a 50% or greater stenosis. The surgical policy was to carry out sequential grafting any time it was considered feasible. The LIMA was always grafted to the LAD end-to-side. The single SVG anastomosis was also constructed end-to-side, whereas in the sequential SVG the distal end-to-side anastomosis was constructed before the side-by-side anastomosis. All LIMA and vein anastomoses were sutured with 7-0 Prolene. The proximal anastomoses were made after release of the aortic cross-clamp and by applying a side-biting clamp on the ascending aorta.

Transit-Time Flow Measurements
Grafts were assessed in stable hemodynamic conditions 10 to 15 minutes after cardiopulmonary bypass discontinuation. In off-pump patients, the flow measurements were recorded after completion of all distal anastomoses. Mean systemic arterial blood pressure during measurements was 68 ± 8 mm Hg.

Measurements were carried out by 3- or 4-mm flow probes connected to a transit-time flowmeter (Medi-Stim ASA, Oslo, Norway). Both for single and sequential SVGs the flow probe was placed about 2 cm below the proximal anastomosis. The LIMA flow was assessed by applying the probe around a skeletonized distal site.

In all grafts the flow measurements included mean flow and the PI. The PI is a dimensionless positive number that is considered as an indicator of peripheral vascular resistance. This is automatically calculated by the flowmeter according to the following formula: PI = [maximum volumetric peak flow – minimum volumetric peak flow]/mean volumetric flow.

Based on work by Belboul and coworkers [14], mean flows and PIs were divided according to patients' sex, target vessel, and left and right coronary circulation. The intermediate coronary branch was considered as diagonal. Because the posterior descending and posterior-lateral branches originated from the right coronary artery in most cases, they were considered part of the right coronary system.

Statistical Analysis
Data are presented as the mean ± 1 standard deviation. All data were reviewed retrospectively. The grafts were naturally nested into four groups: LIMA-LAD, and single, double, and triple sequential SVGs. Comparison of flow values within these groups and overall comparison among the groups were done using a linear mixed model. Sex, age, blood pressure, and ejection fraction were initially included in the model, and statistically nonsignificant terms were sequentially removed. The mixed model also incorporated correlation of grafts within each patient [15]. Pairwise post-hoc comparisons were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni technique. Categorical variables were analyzed using a {chi}2 test, and continuous variables using a two-tailed Student's t test with equal or unequal variances based on the findings of an initial F test for equality of variance. A probability value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS for Windows 15 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL).


   Results
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Results
Comment
 Acknowledgments
 References
 
Of the 1,390 grafts constituting the study, 1,385 were found satisfactory at the transit-time flow measurements control, whereas 5 grafts (0.4%; 2 LIMA-to-LADs, 3 single SVGs to obtuse marginal, posterior descending, and LAD) required revision of the anastomosis because of unexpected low flows and high PIs attributable to technical failure or incorrect placement of the anastomosis. After revision both flows and PI were within satisfactory ranges.

Graft Flow
Mean flow values of grafts directed to different target vessels are shown in Table 2. In Figure 1, the box plots depict flow values when categorized in LIMA-to-LAD, single SVG, and double and triple sequential SVGs, whereas Table 3 shows the estimated mean values from the statistical model. Within the single SVG group there were no significant differences between flows in grafts directed to different target vessels except for the diagonal (diagonal versus obtuse marginal, p < 0.001; diagonal versus posterior descending artery, p = 0.035; diagonal versus right coronary artery, p = 0.003). This behavior was taken into consideration for further analysis by grouping together all single SVGs, whereas those directed to the diagonal were treated as an additional group. Within the double sequential group the target vessels of the grafts made no significant difference (p = 0.093).


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  		Table 2 Mean Blood Flow and Pulsatility Index Values
 

Figure 1
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  		Fig 1. Transit-time blood flows in different coronary bypass grafts (581 patients; 1,390 grafts) in a box plot diagram. All triple sequential saphenous vein grafts (SSVGs) were directed to the left coronary artery system. (LAD = left anterior descending artery; LIMA = left internal mammary artery; SVG = saphenous vein graft.)

 

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  		Table 3 Estimated Mean Flows a
 
Table 4 shows the fixed factors influencing the flow in all CABGs according to the linear mixed model. Overall, graft flows were 9 mL/min higher for men than for women (p < 0.001). Age and left ventricular ejection fraction also made significant contributions to the model. Flow was not significantly influenced by the perfusion pressure (p = 0.115).


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  		Table 4 Factors Influencing Blood Flow in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts a
 
The pairwise post-hoc comparison showed flows in single SVGs were significantly lower when compared with double (p < 0.001) and triple sequential SVGs (p < 0.001; Fig 1, Table 3). Flows in single SVG to diagonal were significantly lower than flows in double and triple sequential SVG (p < 0.001, respectively). Flows in double sequential SVGs were significantly lower than those in triple sequential SVGs (p = 0.017).

Pulsatility Index
Mean PI values of grafts directed to different target vessels are shown in Table 2. Figure 2 shows PI values in single and sequential SVG to the left and right coronary system. Overall, the mean PI ± standard error of the mean of SVG to the left or right coronary system were 2.0 ± 0.05 and 2.4 ± 0.06, respectively, with the difference being significant (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between PI values for any type of grafts within the single and double SVG group to the left or right coronary system (p < 0.001). Moreover, PI values of single versus double versus triple SVG group within the left coronary system were not significantly different (p = 0.244). Similarly, PI values of single versus double SVGs to the right coronary system were also not significantly different (p = 0.126). Pulsatility index values were similar for men and women (p = 0.534).


Figure 2
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  		Fig 2. Pulsatility index (PI) in single saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) and double and triple sequential saphenous vein grafts (SSVGs), divided by right and left coronary system presented in a box plot diagram. (SEM = standard error of the mean.)

 

   Comment
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Results
 Comment
Acknowledgments
 References
 
Although several clinical series have demonstrated that the sequential bypass grafting technique has excellent long-term results [16–18], this technique remains a controversial one. This is particularly true considering that the majority of studies on sequential technique go back at least a decade, when transit-time flowmetry was unavailable.

Our study analyzed routine recordings of intraoperative transit-time flow measurements of sequential SVGs in a large population of patients operated on by one surgeon. Thus, the same surgical technique of coronary artery grafting and standard of measurements were applied in all patients, avoiding operator-related biases at the time of statistical analysis of the outcome.

The first finding was an increased blood flow in sequential SVG compared with single SVG. This observation was consistent for both male and female patients, with male patients exhibiting the highest flows. Specifically, male patients were predicted to have a graft blood flow 8.7 mL/min higher than women of the same age and left ventricular ejection fraction. The blood flow increased according to the number of distal anastomoses: from a lower flow in single SVGs to a higher flow in double sequentials and up to the highest flow in triple sequentials. The trend was confirmed by our linear mixed model predicting that in patients of the same age, sex, and left ventricular ejection fraction, a triple sequential graft has 13 and 39 mL/min flow higher than double sequential and single SVG, respectively. This behavior is recognized to be caused by decreased total resistance, better run-off, and minimized impedance difference.

The variables generally used for evaluation of the flow rate are graft quality and diameter, and the resistance posed by the native coronary vessel. If one considers that the diameters of SVGs are relatively constant for a given patient, and the resistance posed by an SVG is negligible when compared with that of its coronary counterpart, the resistance of the native coronary vessels remains the principal determinant of the flow rate [17]. Therefore, if individual resistances of the grafted coronaries are assumed to be equivalent, a double sequential graft should pose only half of the resistance of an individual graft. Thus, the single SVGs are more resistant than sequential conduits, and are expected to have a lower flow compared with the sequential ones. Although all the differences among the three flow values reached statistical significance, flows in double and triple sequential SVGs were not twofold or threefold higher, respectively, compared with flows in single SVGs. This observation is consistent with the conclusion by Gwozdziewicz and coworkers [19] that blood flow through an individual bypass is comparable with that through the distal segment (end-to-side anastomosis) of a double sequential bypass. A likely explanation may be the relation between the capacity of the graft and the blood flow velocity in the graft. Although a sequential SVG would be able to provide a blood supply two or three times larger than a single SVG, this will not occur because blood flow velocity should be similarly high. The native coronary blood flow velocity is relatively fixed because it is dependent on the cross-sectional area of the coronary lumen and regional left ventricular mass [20].

Within the single SVG group, grafts directed to diagonal branches exhibited significantly lower flows than those directed to other target vessels, and this held true both for men and women. The explanation is that diagonals may be vessels of a smaller diameter and with less peripheral flow reserve, thus posing a higher coronary resistance. Significantly lower flows of single grafts to diagonals were also reported by Hassenein and colleagues [21]. Overall, flows were significantly higher in men versus women because the former are assumed to have coronary arteries of larger diameter than the latter as well as larger ventricular mass [22].

Surprisingly, and in contrast to comparable studies [9–12], we measured a lower flow in the LIMA-LAD grafts compared with vein grafts directed to the LAD. We believe this may be caused by some degree of spasm of the LIMA graft, as no vasodilators (eg, papaverine) were used routinely.

With regard to the PI, our results show that single, double, and triple SVGs all had similar PI values without significant differences among the three groups. The only difference was the higher PI in the right coronary system compared with the left, and this was true both for male and female patients. These findings are opposite to what one could expect as sequential grafts provide higher flows owing to a reduced peripheral vascular resistance. Thus, sequential grafts should theoretically provide lower PIs compared with single SVGs. Nonetheless, our data indicate that the increased blood flow from single to sequential SVGs is not associated with a decrease of PI. The likely explanation is that the shape of the flow curves of the single and sequential grafts are similar, resulting in similar PI values. Thus PI, a dimensionless number derived from an equation considering the maximum and minimum peaks and mean flow measurements, will change concomitantly with marked changes of the flow curve. This is typically seen as a gross increase of resistance in the bypass grafts (ie, technical failure of the anastomosis, graft kinking or torsion) or coronary arteries (ie, small diameter, poor runoff). This is in line with the reports by Morota and coworkers [23], who showed a large increase of PI as a consequence of a progressive tightening of the LIMA-LAD graft in the pig causing a reduced mean flow. On the other hand, the right coronary system had significantly higher PI values compared with the left across all the graft types because of a more spiky and systolic flow pattern, indicating higher vascular resistance in the right system. However, it is also known that blood flow to the right coronary artery takes place during systole as a result of minor compression of the epicardial vessels during right ventricular contraction [13].

The limitations of our study are, first, that total flow measurements were taken in sequential grafts by applying the probe about 2 cm distal to the aortic anastomosis; therefore the assessment of flow characteristics such as the systolic and diastolic patterns of each distal anastomosis could not be carried out. On the other hand, Gwozdziewicz and coworkers [19] reported that grafting a sequential graft proximal to the larger artery in sequence did not appear to have a significant effect on the blood flow in the distal segment of a sequential graft. Second, coronary flow reserve was not investigated as injection of papaverine in the bypass grafts was not carried out routinely. Third, exclusion of the few grafts with PI greater than 5 and mean flow less than 15 mL/min was done because of poor runoff as assessed by the combined information from the angiogram and the limited peripheral vascular bed seen in the surgical field. However, this issue was not confirmed by postoperative angiography as this was not performed routinely. A follow-up angiography would have been needed to prove the long-term outcome of sequential grafts.

On clinical grounds the reason to carry out transit-time flow measurements is as first-line quality control of CABG, with the aim to rule out all the likely causes of early graft failures. Ideally flow measurements should be followed by an angiogram later in the patient's follow-up. Unfortunately an angiogram performed on a routine basis in a patient without recurrent angina is just wishful thinking, because it is costly, difficult, and impractical owing to the heavy caseloads of the catheterization laboratories. We are aware that clear cutoff transit-time flow values to predict the patency for different types of grafts to different target vessels have not been defined, owing to a wide variability among patients and among different grafts. Nonetheless flow measurements remain the most applied specific investigation readily available on graft performance, and may be considered proof of a satisfactory surgical job. In our unit transit-time flow measurements of each graft are part of the operation report.

In conclusion, at retrospective analysis, sequential SVGs had a significantly higher blood flow compared with single SVGs, with flow increasing from single SVG to double and triple sequential SVG. Single SVGs directed to diagonals had the lowest flow. Blood flows in single and sequential grafts were higher in men versus women. Single, double, and triple SVGs had similar PIs. The PI of grafts directed to the right coronary system was significantly higher compared with grafts to the left coronary system.


   Acknowledgments
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Results
 Comment
 Acknowledgments
References
 
We thank Siren Torsvik Oernes, MS, for statistical analysis of data.


   References
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Results
 Comment
 Acknowledgments
 References
 

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  5. Cooper GJ, Underwood MJ, Deverall PB. Arterial and venous conduits for coronary artery bypass. A current review. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 1996;10:129-140.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2009 87: 1415. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]



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Ann. Thorac. Surg., May 1, 2009; 87(5): 1415 - 1415.
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