Abstract 19433: Should Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting be Used in Patients After Recent MI?

Introduction: Bilateral internal thoracic artery(ITA) grafting is associated with improved survival. However, many surgeons are reluctant to use this revascularization technique in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) due to the risk of sternal infection and the excellent survival benefit obtained with single ITA (SITA). Hypothesis: Long-term outcome of bilateral ITA (BITA) grafting, might be superior to single ITA and other conduits such as saphenous veins (SVG) and radial artery (RA) in patients with multi-vessels disease after recent MI. Methods: 871 patients who underwent BITA grafting after recent MI (<3 months prior to surgery), between 1996 and 2010, Were compared with 527 who underwent CABG with SITA and SVG or RA. Results: Patients undergoing SITA were older, more often female, more likely to have COPD, EF<30%, preoperative critical state, Diabetes, chronic renal failure (CRF), peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and emergency operation. In contrast, patients undergoing BITA grafting were more...