Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting Concomitant With Other Cardiac Operations　― Insights From a European Multicenter Retrospective Study on 1,123 Consecutive Patients ―

Abstract

cases of this strategy being adopted to overcome contingent issues. 18,19 In addition, the long-term benefits that may be derived from BITA use are still unproven. 15 Therefore, we reviewed pooled results from 3 large series of patients who underwent BITA grafting concomitant with other cardiac operations at 3 European centers with extensive experience in BITA use. The aims of this retrospective study were to describe the immediate and long-term outcomes of these patients, and to identify independent T he use of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) for multiple coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in addition to other cardiac operations (combined CABG) is mostly regarded as a risky strategy. The increased length of surgery, as well as the increased risk of bleeding and sternal complications from BITA harvest 1-15 could outweigh the potential benefits of reduced manipulation of the ascending aorta, either natural or prosthetic. 6,7,10,16,17 Consequently, there are no large studies exploring the outcomes of surgery that combines use of BITA with procedures on cardiac valves, the left ventricle, and/or thoracic aorta. The only available evidence stems from anecdotal Editorial p 2416

Risk stratification tool for all surgical site infections after coronary artery bypass grafting

“…[18][19][20][21] Surgical techniques and perioperative management of the patients are reported in the Supplementary Material and Supplementary Table S3 (online). 22,23 The study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval to conduct the study was given by the local ethics committee (Prot.…”

What Is the Rationale for Utilizing Bilateral Internal Thoracic Arteries in Concomitant Cardiac Operations?

“…In this issue of the Journal, Gatti et al report on the safety of using BITA concomitant with other cardiac operations. 4 They note that although the use of BITA in such cases is risky and the increased operation duration, risk of bleeding and sternal complications because of BITA harvest might outweigh the potential benefits of BITA, such as reduced manipulation of the ascending aorta and long-term survival rate, it can be performed with satisfactory results. Also, the long-term outcomes mostly depend on sex, preoperative comorbidities and baseline cardiac function.…”