Analysis of a multicenter registry on evaluation of transit-time flow in coronary artery disease surgery.

Objective: The Evaluation of Transit-Time Flow in Coronary Artery Disease Surgery (EFCAD) registry aims to assess the influence of transit-time flow measurement (TTFM) in daily practice.
Methods: EFCAD is a prospective, multicenter study involving 9 centers performing TTFM during isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Primary end point was occurrence and risk factors of major adverse cardiac events, including perioperative myocardial infarction, urgent postoperative coronary angiogram and/or revascularization, and hospital mortality. Secondary end points were rate of graft revision during surgery and factors affecting graft flow. We respected the limit values set by the experts: mean graft flow >15 mL/minute and pulsatility index ≤5.
Results: Between May 2017 and March 2021, 1616 patients were registered in the EFCAD database. After review, 1414 were included for analyses. Of those, 1176 were eligible for primary end point analysis. Graft revision, mainly due to inadequate TTFM values, occurred in 2% (29 patients). The primary end point occurred in 46 (3.9%) patients, and it was related with left anterior descending artery graft flow ≤15 mL/minute (odds ratio, 3.64; P  < .001). Graft flow was related with number of grafts (3 vs 1-2, β = -1.6; 4-6 vs 1-2, β = -4.1; P  < .001; β > 0 indicates higher flow), and graft origin (aorta vs Y, β = 9.2; in situ left internal thoracic artery vs Y, β = 3.2; in situ right internal thoracic artery vs Y, β = 2.3; P  < .001).
Conclusions: Data from EFCAD study suggest that TTFM is reliable to evaluate graft flow, and acceptance of inadequate flow on left anterior descending artery anastomosis influence postoperative outcomes. In our opinion, TTFM assessment should be routinely used in coronary artery bypass procedures, even if interpretation depends on learning curves.
Competing Interests: Dr Laali has received speaker honoraria from Medistim ASA. All other authors reported no conflicts of interest. The Journal policy requires editors and reviewers to disclose conflicts of interest and to decline handling manuscripts for which they may have a conflict of interest. The editors and reviewers of this article have no conflicts of interest.
(© 2023 The Author(s).)