Application of endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting in coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective To summarize the early clinical results of application of endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting(EVH)in coronary artery bypass grafting.Methods From January 2010 to December 2010,84 consecutive patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG),EVH in 36 cases and the multiple interrupted incisions in 48 cases.Results There was no significantly different saphenous vein in the length between the two groups(P 0.05).But,EVH group had longer harvesting time,shorter incisions length and less suture time than the other group(all P 0.05).Within 1 month after surgery,EVH group presented significantly lower wound-related complication rate than the multiple interrupted incisions group 13.9%(5/36) vs.37.5%(18/48)(P 0.05).Conclusion EVH is a safe and recommended alternative technique for harvesting saphenous vein in coronary artery bypass grafting.