Saphenous vein graft disease: causes, prevention, and contemporary treatment strategies

Abstract

Coronary bypass graft surgery provides symptomatic relief and a long life expectancy for most patients with coronary artery disease who have suitable vessels. Although arterial conduits are becoming more popular, saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are still frequently used in coronary artery bypass surgery since they are readily available, especially in emergency situations. However, SVG tend to degenerate over time, as nearly half of them develop significant stenosis and nearly 40% of them become completely occluded within a decade. Treatment options for SVG failure include redo-surgery, percutaneous intervention, and/or medical therapy. However, challenges in maintaining graft patency (as a predictor of long-term survival) and interventional complications (e.g., distal embolization, ''no-reflow,'' and higher rates of periprocedural myocardial infarction) are still ongoing problems for cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. This review discusses the possible causes of graft failure and the contemporary approaches for improving outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery with at least one SVG.