Endoscopic Radial Artery Harvesting: Patient Satisfaction and Complications

Abstract

Endoscopic radial artery harvesting was recently introduced to reduce the morbidity associated with conventional open harvesting and improve cosmetic outcomes. From January 2004 through December 2006, 25 radial arteries were harvested endoscopically from 25 patients using the VasoView endoscopic system. Bilateral radial arteries were harvested from 6 patients by both the endoscopic and open techniques, and postoperative patient satisfaction was assessed using a visual analogue scale. Mean harvesting time was 61.9 +/- 16.0 min (range, 44-105 min), and mean harvested conduit length was 16.8 +/- 2.0 cm (range, 15-19 cm). Objective dorsal thenar numbness remained in 2 patients (8%); none complained of forearm numbness. All patients expressed marked satisfaction with the endoscopic technique and the small incision. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher with the endoscopic technique than with the open technique (visual analogue scale of 9 vs 5). Postoperative angiography revealed occlusion of a graft that had been anastomosed to a small diagonal branch. The overall graft patency was 96.6%. Endoscopic radial artery harvesting can be performed safely with infrequent complications. This method results in excellent patient satisfaction, particularly regarding the cosmetic outcome.

Postoperative Complications and Patient’s Satisfaction after Harvesting of the Radial Artery for Coronary Artery Bypass

“…Same result was reported in previously cited study, where 98% of pts were satisfied, and only 1.6% considered scar as extremely bad [9]. Very good cosmetic results were also reported by others, after using endoscopic technique [2,15,16].…”

“…compared to the open technique [2]. It became more popular mainly because of the esthetic results (less of a scar), which may improve patient's satisfaction.…”

Open Versus Tunneling Radial Artery Harvest for Coronary Artery Grafting

“…Minimally invasive techniques have been proposed by many authors using endoscopic devices with superior outcomes. However, this approach is time consuming, needs expensive instrumentation, and has a significant learning curve 8‐11 …”

“…However, this approach is time consuming, needs expensive instrumentation, and has a significant learning curve. [8][9][10][11] We present a tunneling radial artery harvesting technique under direct vision that is safe, less invasive compared to standard open technique, and cost-effective compared to endoscopic techniques. , 40 consecutive patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting were randomly divided into two groups.…”