Randomized Trial of Endoscopic or Open Vein-Graft Harvesting for Coronary-Artery Bypass [1]
An interesting randomized controlled trial asserting robustly that endoscopic harvesting of saphenous vein is: (1) better for leg dehiscence and (2) at least noninferior for MACE compared to the conventional open "full touch" method. Somewhat puzzling are the high mortalities and revascularization rates in both arms, across a median follow up less than three years. The requisite hour or more to harvest the vein(s) openly also seems a bit long for experienced operators, even if we include closure of the incision.