Superior long-term patency of no-touch vein graft compared to conventional vein grafts in over 1500 consecutive patients

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term angiographic patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) harvested using the no-touch technique compared to the conventional technique. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, cohort study. The inclusion criteria were individuals who underwent a CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) between January 1995 and July 2020, and who successively needed a clinically-driven angiography. The primary endpoint was long-term patency. The secondary endpoints were differences in patency based on sub-group analysis (single vs. sequential graft, divided by target vessel). Results: The study included 1520 individuals (618 no-touch, 825 conventional and 77 arterial grafts). The mean clinical follow-up time was 8.4 years ± 5.5 years. The patency per patient was 70.7% in the no-touch grafts vs. 46.7% in the conventional grafts (p < 0.001, OR = 2.8). The graft patency was 75.9% in the no-touch grafts vs. 62.8% in the conventional grafts (p < 0.001, OR = 1.8). Conclusions: The no-touch vein grafts were associated with statistically significantly higher patency at long-term compared to the conventional grafts. Clinical trial registration: NCT04656366, 7 December 2020.