Is a third arterial conduit necessary? Comparison of the radial artery and saphenous vein in patients receiving bilateral internal thoracic arteries for triple vessel coronary disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The use of bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITAs) is associated with improved long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, it is unclear whether the addition of a radial artery (RA) in patients already receiving BITA confers any additional survival benefit over that of a saphenous vein (SV). As such, we reviewed our multicentre experience and compared both strategies. METHODS: From 1995 to 2010, 1497 patients underwent primary isolated CABG for three-vessel coronary disease using BITAs. An SV was used as a third conduit in 460 (31%) patients and an RA in 1037 (69%). A total of 1258 distal anastomoses were performed using RAs and these were to th..