Open Harvesting Technique of the Radial Artery

The radial artery has gained importance as a graft in coronary artery bypass surgery and is frequently considered a preferable alternative to the saphenous vein for additional grafting by surgeons worldwide. Its use is strongly recommended in the current European and U.S. cardiothoracic guidelines on operative myocardial revascularization. The radial artery has greater long-term durability than the saphenous vein, and total arterial coronary artery bypass seems to be the better revascularization strategy due to significantly lower adverse cardiac events and lower risk of occlusion. In some circumstances, depending on graft quality, the surgeon’s experience and the patient’s comorbidities and life expectancy, it is prioritized above a second internal thoracic artery.

Various multicenter studies have shown that the radial artery has comparable long-term patency to right mammary artery grafting. The video provides a step-by-step, systematic. and precise surgical technique for harvesting the radial artery. 

References

1. Neumann FJ, Sousa-Uva M, Ahlsson A, Alfonso F, Banning AP, Benedetto U, Byrne RA, Collet JP, Falk V, Head SJ, Jüni P, Kastrati A, Koller A, Kristensen SD, Niebauer J, Richter DJ, Seferovic PM, Sibbing D, Stefanini GG, Windecker S, Yadav R, Zembala MO; ESC Scientific Document Group. 2018 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on myocardial revascularization. Eur Heart J. 2019 Jan 7;40(2):87-165. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy394. Erratum in: Eur Heart J. 2019 Oct 1;40(37):3096. PMID: 30165437.

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