Patency of conduits in patients who received internal mammary artery, radial artery and saphenous vein grafts

Abstract Background Where each patient has all three conduits of internal mammary artery (IMA), saphenous vein graft (SVG) and radial artery (RA), most confounders affecting comparison between conduits can be mitigated. Additionally, since SVG progressively fails over time, restricting patient angiography to the late period only can mitigate against early SVG patency that may have occluded in the late period. Methods Research protocol driven conventional angiography was performed for patients with at least one of each conduit of IMA, RA and SVG and a minimum of 7 years postoperative. The primary analysis was perfect patency and secondary analysis was overall patency including angiographic evidence of conduit lumen irregularity from conduit atheroma. Multivariable generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used. Patency excluded occluded or “string sign” conduits. Perfect patency was present in patent grafts if there was no lumen irregularity. Results Fifty patients underwent coronary angiography at overall duration postoperative 13.1 ± 2.9, and age 74.3 ± 7.0 years. Of 196 anastomoses, IMA 62, RA 77 and SVG 57. Most IMA were to the left anterior descending territory and most RA and SVG were to the circumflex and right coronary territories. Perfect patency RA 92.2% was not different to IMA 96.8%, P = 0.309; and both were significantly better than SVG 17.5%, P