No-touch Saphenous Vein Research Articles

Use of the No-Touch Saphenous Vein Harvesting Technique via Small Incisions.

There are substantial data in support of improved patency using the no-touch (NT) saphenous vein (SV) harvesting technique. However, wound complications correlated with such are more significant than those associated with the skeletonized technique. To solve this, we introduced the use of the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing device via small incisions. In this study, a cordless retractor with a built-in LED light source was utilized. The NT-SV graft was harvested with a pedicle of surrounding tissue approximately 5 mm in size and attached to the main trunk. The intima, tunica media, adventitia, and vasa vasorum appeared normal by histological analysis. Our technique combines the potential advantages of a minimally invasive endoscope approach using bipolar electrothermy and the improved patency of a NT-SV.

The no-touch saphenous vein is an excellent alternative conduit to the radial artery 8 years after coronary artery bypass grafting: A randomized trial

BackgroundIn 2004, a prospective randomized trial demonstrated that after 3 years, saphenous veins (SVs) harvested with a no touch (NT) technique had a greater patency than radial grafts for coronary bypass surgery. Here we report the 8-year follow-up data of this trial. MethodsThe trial included 108 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Each patient was assigned to receive 1 NT SV and 1 radial artery (RA) graft to either the left or right coronary territory to complement the left internal thoracic artery (LITA). Sequential grafting was common, so overall graft patency as well as the patency of each anastomosis were assessed. ResultsAngiography was performed in 84 patients (78%) at mean of 97 months postoperatively. Graft patency were high and similar for both NT and RA: 86% for NT versus 79% for RA (P = .22). The patency of coronary anastomoses was significantly higher with the NT SV grafts (91% vs 81%; P = .046). The NT grafts also had excellent patency in coronary arteries with <90% stenosis (93% patency) and in coronary arteries of small diameter (87% patency) or with mild calcification (88% patency). Patency for the LITA was 92%. ConclusionsNT SV grafts have excellent patency similar to that of RA grafts after 8 years. In addition, NT SV grafts can be used in situations that are not ideal for RA grafts.

No-touch saphenous vein graft harvesting technique for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Although the patency of internal artery grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is superior to that of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs), good long-term patency rates have been reported with SVGs harvested using the no-touch technique. Here, we report the early results of CABG with no-touch SVGs (NT-SVGs) along with the precautions required while handling these grafts. This retrospective study included 41 patients who underwent CABG with NT-SVGs between May 2016 and March 2018. NT-SVGs were harvested with minimal electric scalpel use, and post-harvesting vascular overdilation with a syringe was not performed. Blood with heparinized saline was used to prevent vascular endothelial damage. A drain was inserted into the SVG harvest site, which was closed with a single interrupted suture, and elasticated bandage and compression stockings were used to prevent fluid retention and avoid delayed wound healing. There was no case of postoperative thoracotomy due to bleeding or myocardial infarction, and postoperative graft assessment confirmed graft patency in all patients, with a little mismatch between the diameters of SVG and the anastomotic vessel. Delayed wound healing at the graft harvest site seemed to improve after introducing the above procedures. Early results of CABG with NT-SVGs were good. Some precautions must be taken during harvesting and anastomosis. Taking precautions described in this study may help reduce the risk of perioperative complications and make the no-touch technique the standard procedure for harvesting SVGs for CABG.

Novel harvesting technique of no-touch saphenous vein graft using THUNDERBEAT.

The no-touch technique of saphenous vein involves harvesting the vein as a pedicled graft and avoidance of direct contact with the vein or excessive high-pressure expansion. This technique provides long-term graft patency as that of internal mammary artery; however, the wound complications could be greater than conventional skeletonized technique. To solve the problem of leg wound trouble and to harvest the vein simpler, we have developed a novel harvesting technique using a newly developed energy device, THUNDERBEAT. This technique has the ability of efficacious tissue dissection, safer sealing of branches, and less wound complications without thermal damage to the graft. This strategy was successfully used in 35 patients.

Proximal first: a beneficial strategy for no-touch saphenous vein graft.

In the mid-1990s, a novel saphenous vein harvesting technique, in which the vein is harvested with its surrounding tissue without manual distention, was introduced. This no-touch technique provides an excellent long-term patency; however, graft twisting and kinking should be given attention. To fully bring out the benefit of the no-touch method while reducing the risk of twisting and kinking, we have modified the anastomosis strategy. Our simple modified strategy involved a proximal anastomosis prior to the distal anastomosis. This strategy was successfully used in 16 patients.

The no-touch saphenous vein graft in elderly coronary bypass patients with multiple comorbidities is a promising conduit to substitute the left internal thoracic artery

ObjectivesWe investigated the patency rates of no-touch saphenous vein grafts anastomosed to the left anterior descending artery compared with the left internal thoracic artery. Further, we compared the patency of no-touch vein grafts to the left anterior descending artery with the patency of no-touch vein grafts to other coronary arteries. MethodsOf 2635 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting between 2003 and 2008, 168 (6.3%) were given at least a saphenous vein graft to the left anterior descending artery to avoid harvesting complications in high-risk patients or in response to a left internal thoracic artery injury. A total of 97 patients were consecutively included after informed consent. A clinical examination and computed tomography angiography were performed on 91 patients at a mean of 6 (4-9) years. ResultsThe mean age of patients was 75.6 ± 8.5 years. Postoperatively, 88.7% of patients (86/97) were free of angina. The 91 examined patients had 163 grafts with 286 distal anastomoses. Crude patency, according to distal anastomoses, was 94.4% (270/286). The patency of single versus sequential no-touch vein grafts to the left anterior descending artery was 98% (50/51) versus 92.5% (37/40). The total patency rate was 95.6% (87/91), similar to the reported patency rate for the left internal thoracic artery. The no-touch grafts to the left anterior descending artery versus other coronaries had a patency of 95.6% (87/91) versus 93.8% (183/195), a high similarity confirmed by an equivalence analysis. ConclusionsIn elderly coronary bypass patients with multiple comorbidities, a no-touch saphenous vein graft is a promising substitute for the left internal thoracic artery.

Role of PVAT in coronary atherosclerosis and vein graft patency: friend or foe?

This article is part of a themed section on Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Perivascular Adipose Tissue - Potential Pharmacological Targets? To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.20/issuetoc.

No-touch SVGの現況と課題

No-touch SVGの現況と課題

The no-touch saphenous vein for coronary artery bypass grafting maintains a patency, after 16 years, comparable to the left internal thoracic artery: A randomized trial

ObjectivesThis study investigates whether the no-touch (NT) vein graft, at a mean time of 16 years, maintains a significantly higher patency rate than conventional (C) vein grafts and still has patency comparable to that of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA). MethodsA total of 156 patients accepted for coronary artery bypass grafting were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 groups. In the C group, the saphenous vein (SV) was stripped and distended. In the intermediate group, the SV was stripped but not distended. In the NT group, the SV was neither stripped nor distended, but rather harvested with a fat pedicle. This study is an angiographic follow-up of the C and NT groups, at a mean time of 16 years postoperatively. ResultsFifty-four patients were included (C group = 27; NT group = 27). In all, 72 and 75 vein grafts were completed in groups C and NT, respectively. Crude SV graft patency was 64% in the C group versus 83% in the NT group (P = .03), which was similar to the patency of the LITA (88%). The harvesting technique had a major impact on the patency with a hazard ratio for occlusion of 1.83 for the C group (P = .04). ConclusionsHarvesting the SV with the NT technique conferred, at a mean time of 16 years, a significantly higher patency than the conventional technique that was still comparable to that of the LITA.

Pedicled no-touch saphenous vein graft harvest limits vascular smooth muscle cell activation: the PATENT saphenous vein graft study†

Neointimal hyperplasia secondary to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) activation limits the long-term patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs). We compared markers of vascular injury and VSMC activation in SVGs harvested using the pedicled 'no-touch' (NT) vs the conventional (CON) technique. Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were enrolled in the PATENT SVG trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01488084). Patients were randomly allocated to have SVGs harvested with the NT technique from one leg and the CON method from the other. SVG segments underwent morphometry, histological and electron microscopy assessments and transcript measurements of VSMC activation and differentiation markers. Leg wound functional recovery and harvest site complications were assessed using a quality-of-life questionnaire. A total of 17 patients (65.3 ± 7.3 years) were enrolled. SVGs harvested using the NT vs CON technique exhibited preserved intimal, medial and adventitial architecture. CON harvest was associated with greater medial Kruppel-like factor 4 transcript levels (0.26 ± 0.05 vs 0.11 ± 0.02, P < 0.05). CON samples had significantly lower medial serum response factor (0.53 ± 0.11 vs 1.44 ± 0.50, P < 0.05) and myocardin (0.59 ± 0.08 vs 1.33 ± 0.33, P < 0.05) transcript levels. MicroRNA-145, an inhibitor of VSMC activation and differentiation, was higher in the NT vs CON samples (1.84 ± 1.03 vs 0.50 ± 0.19, P < 0.05). Leg assessment scores were worse in the NT legs at 3 months, but similar to CON scores at 12 months. SVGs harvested using the 'NT' technique exhibit an early molecular and morphological pattern consistent with decreased VSMC activation compared with CON harvesting. Functional leg recovery was similar in both groups at 12 months. Larger studies are required to corroborate these findings.

The No-Touch Saphenous Vein as the Preferred Second Conduit for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Injury incurred while saphenous veins are being obtained results in poor graft patency and impairs the results of coronary artery bypass grafting. A novel method of obtaining veins, the no-touch technique, has shown improved long-term saphenous vein graft patency. This randomized trial included 108 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and compared the patency of no-touch saphenous vein with that of radial artery grafts. Each patient was assigned to receive one no-touch saphenous vein and one radial artery graft to either the left or the right coronary territory to complement the left internal thoracic artery. Angiography was performed in 99 patients (92%) at a mean of 36 months postoperatively. Graft and grafted coronary artery patency was evaluated. The patency of grafts for no-touch saphenous vein and radial artery was 94% versus 82% (p = 0.01), respectively. The patency of coronary arteries grafted with no-touch saphenous vein and radial artery grafts was 95% versus 84% (p = 0.005), respectively. Eighty-nine of 96 (93%) left internal thoracic artery grafts were patent. No-touch saphenous vein grafts showed a significantly higher patency rate than the radial artery grafts and the patency was comparable to the patency for left internal thoracic artery grafts. This highlights the improvement in saphenous vein graft quality with the no-touch technique and increases the number of situations in which saphenous veins may be preferable to radial artery grafts as conduits in coronary artery bypass grafting.

The Vasa Vasorum and Associated Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase is More Important for Saphenous Vein Than Arterial Bypass Grafts

No-touch (NT) saphenous vein (SV) grafts are superior to SVs harvested by the conventional technique (CT), with a patency comparable with the internal thoracic artery (ITA). Preservation of the vasa vasorum is implicated in the success of NT harvesting. We compared the vasa vasorum and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in NT SV with ITA and radial artery (RA) grafts. Skeletonized SV (SSV) was also analyzed. The NT SV had a higher number and larger vasa vasorum compared with ITA (P = .0001) and RA (P = .0004) that correlated with eNOS protein. Activity of eNOS in SSV grafts was significantly lower than NT SV grafts (P = 004). Since a high proportion of the vasa vasorum are removed in SSV using the CT, we suggest that preservation of the vasa vasorum and eNOS-derived NO contributes to the high patency for NT as compared with SSV grafts.