A series of 157 patients with a mean follow-up of nearly 3 years shows a stable patency rate after 1 year. These were all free arterial grafts, primarily to the right coronary artery.
Calafiore AM, Di Giammarco G, Teodori G, D'Annunzio E, Vitolla G, Fino C, Maddestra N. Radial artery and inferior epigastric artery in composite grafts: Improved midterm angiographic results. Annals of Thoracic Surgery 1995 60(3):517-23.
This series of 240 patients had composite grafts constructed off an internal mammary artery. At a mean follow-up of 18 months, cumulative radial artery patency was 93% and inferior epigastric artery patency was 96%.
Montague NT, Kouchoukos NT, Wilson TA, Bennett AL, Knott HW, Lochridge SK, Evath HG, Clayton OW. Morbidity and mortality of coronary artery bypass in patients 70 years of age and older. Annals of Thoracic Surgery 1985 39(552-7).
Important article from series of nearly 600 patients demonstrates safety of CAB in the elderly. Coexisting illness and occurrence of major postop complication were important predictors of increased length of stay and mortality.
Favaloro RG. Current status of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 1994 6(2):67-71.
Lead article in this issue of Seminars entitled "25 years of myocardial revascularization" discusses the history of vein graft, the internal mammary, and the Cleveland Clinic experience. Other articles cover new arterial conduits, intracoronary stents, and coronary surgery for single vessel disease.
Loop FD, Lytle BW, Cosgrove DM et al. Influence of the internal mammary artery on 10-year survival and other cardiac events. New England Journal of Medicine 1986 314:1-6.
Landmark article on long-term results of 2306 IMA grafts versus 3625 vein grafts. The bottom line: patients had better survival in single, double, and triple vessel disease; there was also less incidence of myocardial infarction, reoperation, and late cardiac events.
Sources for further reading
Textbook Chapters
Chapter 7: Stenotic Arteriosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease. Cardiac Surgery (Kirklin and Barratt-Boyes), 2nd ed., 300-40.
Chapter 126: Coronary Artery Operation and Reoperations: Techniques and Conduits. Glenn's Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (Baue, Geha, Hammond, Laks, and Naunheim), 6th ed., 2067-80.
Recent on-line full-text journal articles