Twenty patients underwent myocardial revascularization with a radial artery (RA) between May and November 1996. The mean age was 57.1 years (35 to 69) and 16 patients (80%) were male. Midsternotomy, extracorporeal circulation and antegrade blood cardioplegia were always used. A total of 64 grafts, 3.2 per patient (2 to 5), were performed: in 9 patients (45%) to the diagonal branch, in 6 (30%) to the obtuse marginal branch, in 4 (20%) to the right coronary artery and 1(5%) to the left anterior descending artery. The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was also used in every patient, the right IMA in 7 (35%) and additional saphenous vein grafts in another 13 (65%). Calcium channel blockers were used orally to prevent RA spasm. There were no hospital deaths nor during follow up of 10 months. Seventeen immediate coronary angiographies have been performed. RA grafts were patent in 16 (94.1%). There was no ischemic sequelae of the superior limb secondary to graft harvesting. Our results are similar to many other recent published series, and no morbidity or mortality increase has been noticed with RA used for Coronary artery bypass grafting.
Myocardial revascularization methods; Radial artery
