Aortocoronary Bypass Graft Initial Blood Flow through the Graft, and Early Postoperative Patency

Intraoperative measurements of blood flow were made in 70 patients in whom a total of 103 venous bypass grafts had been inserted from the aorta to the right, the left anterior descending, or the circumflex coronary artery. Cineangiographic evaluation of graft patency was performed in all patients. Overall patency rate was 90.3%. Flow in all bypass grafts averaged 68 ml / min. All grafts with flow of 20 ml or less or which failed to respond to the injection of 20 mg of papaverine became occluded. All grafts with flow greater than 45 ml/min remained open. Additional Indexing Words: Surgery for acquired coronary artery disease ELECTROMAGNETIC blood flowmeters have been utilized for several years in peripheral vascular surgery. ' Opinions are still divided on the quantitative correlation of blood flow and early or late postoperative patency in femoropopliteal venous bypass grafts.2-6 Recently, aortocoronary venous bypass grafts have gained widespread acceptance in the surgical treatment of atherosclerotic coro-nary artery disease,7-9 and early postoperative patency from 59 to 95 % has been reported in various centers.8 9 Little information is avail-able, however, concerning blood flow through aortocoronary venous bypass grafts. The purpose of this communication is to report on the correlation of intraoperative blood flow through aortocoronary venou