Reoperations in patients with patent left internal mammary artery. |
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Authors: | Antonino Roscitano Fabio Capuano Euclide Tonelli Riccardo Sinatra |
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Affiliation: | Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy. |
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Abstract: | In the past decade the rate of reoperative coronary bypass grafting has averaged 8%. In these patients adequate myocardial protection is often difficult because delivery of cardioplegia is frequently suboptimal when the internal mammary artery graft is patent. We describe a simple technique for performing cardiac reoperation in patients with a patent left internal mammary artery graft through a balloon catheter used for angioplasty and positioned in the left internal mammary artery graft. Our study included 3 patients and there were no operative deaths and complications. |
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