Endoscopic versus open vein harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract

Recently developed minimally invasive endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) techniques have largely replaced traditional longitudinal open vein harvest (OVH) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The past decade has seen a rapid uptake in the use of EVH in many centers, although controversy remains regarding vein graft quality and the impact of EVH on long-term graft patency and clinical outcomes. EVH has been demonstrated to improve short-term wound-related outcomes, including wound infections, post-operative pain, mobility, length of hospital stay, and patient satisfaction. This chapter will review the technical aspects of EVH including the impact of the learning curve and the technical details of EVH harvesting on vein graft quality. The literature regarding the effect of harvesting technique on graft quality, as determined by histological evaluation, angiographic graft patency, and clinical outcomes will also be evaluated. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.