Are three arteries better than two? Impact of using the radial artery in addition to bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting on long-term survival [1]
The impact of radial artery vs saphenous vein in patients undergoing bilateral IMA grafting was evaluated in 275 and 489 pts, respectively, using propensity score matching. Operative mortality and survival at 5, 10, and 15 years were similar. There was no influence of patient age, R vs L coronary system grafting, diabetes, or ventricular dysfunction on outcomes comparing the two groups.
Commentary: http://www.jtcvsonline.org/article/S0022-5223(16)30296-3/fulltext [3]