Original Article Radial Artery 2000 –Risk Analysis of Mortality for Coronary Bypass Surgery with Radial Artery–

Background: The aim of this study is to review our experience with using more than 2,000 RAs over the last seven years, and to assess the medium-term outcome in terms of morbidity and mortality. Methods: Between June 1994 and June 2001, a total of 2,024 RAs have been used in 1,613 patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 40.1 months and ranged from one to 88 months. We assessed the results of postoperative mortality and morbidity, RA graft patency, coro-nary event free rate, and actuarial survival rate. Specifically, the independent predictors of early and late mortalities were examined. Results: Perioperative myocardial infarction was indicated in 0.8%, stroke in 1.6%, respec-tively. Overall hospital mortality was 35 patients (2.4%). RA patency rate was 98.1%. Coro-nary event free rate and actuarial survival rates at seven years were 99.6 % and 95.1%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis detected an ejection fraction of less than 30 % (p=0.0009), re-exploration (p=0.02), and stroke (p=0.03) as significant indepen-dent predictors of operative mortality. The use of saphenous vein graft (p=0.0417) and renal impairment (p=0.0045) were significant independent predictors of late mortality. Conclusions: Our seven-year experience of CABG with RA suggested that the use of RA was safe and had excellent results in postoperative graft patency and low incidence of com-plications. This study suggested that the use of RA instead of the saphenous vein graft made a better outcome for late survival in the patients undergoing CABG. (Ann Thorac Cardiovas