Multiarterial Grafting in Redo Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Type of Arterial Conduit and Patient Sex Determine Benefit [1]
In this article, the authors analyzed 6,693 redo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) operations performed between 1980 and 2020 at the Cleveland Clinic to determine whether multiarterial grafting (MAG) provides a survival benefit over single arterial grafting (SAG). Using propensity-matched cohorts (2,005 pairs), they found that MAG resulted in lower in-hospital mortality (1.7 percent vs 2.8 percent) and comparable morbidity. Long-term survival was significantly better after MAG, particularly in men receiving bilateral internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts, with a 20-year survival rate of 31 percent compared to 25 percent after SAG. No clear survival advantage was observed in women or when non-ITA conduits were used. The authors note that CABG is technically more complex in women, whose smaller arteries and limited collateralization may partly explain the limited observed benefit.