European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
-
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg · Jul 2016
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialIs a third arterial conduit necessary? Comparison of the radial artery and saphenous vein in patients receiving bilateral internal thoracic arteries for triple vessel coronary disease.
The use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITAs) is associated with improved long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, it is unclear whether the addition of a radial artery (RA) in patients already receiving BITA confers any additional survival benefit over that of a saphenous vein (SV). As such, we reviewed our multicentre experience and compared both strategies. ⋯ The addition of an RA graft even in patients already receiving BITAs is associated with a survival benefit. In younger patients with a reasonable long-term life expectancy, surgeons should strive to achieve total arterial revascularization with BITAs and radial arteries.