Expert Systematic Review on the Choice of Conduits for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Endorsed by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)
Mario Gaudino, Faisal G. Bakaeen, Sigrid Sandner, Gabriel S. Aldea, Hirokuni Arai, Joanna Chikwe, Scott Firestone, Stephen E. Fremes, Walter J. Gomes, Ki Bong-Kim, Kalie Kisson, Paul Kurlansky, Jennifer S. Lawton, Daniel Navia, John D. Puskas, Marc Ruel, Joseph F. Sabik, Thomas A. Schwann, David P. Taggart, James Tatoulis, Moritz Wyler von Ballmoos
Abstract
Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) is the most common cardiac surgery operation in the USA and worldwide.1 The first choice of conduit and standard of care is use of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. While the saphenous vein graft (SVG) remains the most commonly used conduit for multivessel CABG, there is a variety of arterial conduits and technical variations of the SVG that may also be used for the operation. Individualization of the grafting strategy to the anatomic and clinical characteristics of each patient, as well as to the operating surgeon’s experience and comfort with the different conduits, is key to the success of the operation.