Morphological Changes in Endothelial Cell Organelles in a No-Touch Saphenous Vein Graft

ABSTRACT Introduction: Improved long-term patency of the no-touch (NT) saphenous vein graft has been reported to result from the preservation of a healthy vascular microstructure, especially endothelial cells. However, the precise morphology of endothelial cells and their organelles in NT saphenous vein graft has not been fully investigated. In this study, we assessed the ultrastructure of preserved endothelial cells in saphenous vein graft using transmission electron microscopy. Methods: Intact control (IC) vein, NT saphenous vein graft, and conventional (CT) saphenous vein graft were harvested from a patient. After observation by light microscopy, the nuclei and mitochondria in the preserved endothelial cells were compared among IC, NT, and CT using transmission electron microscopy, and the endothelial organelles were assessed quantitatively. Results: Light microscopy showed that the preservation of endothelial cells was comparable in IC, NT, and CT. Subsequent transmission electron microscopy observation showed that the nuclei in preserved endothelial cells appeared more swollen in CT than that in NT. Quantitative analysis revealed that nuclear size and circularity of preserved endothelial cells in NT and IC were similar, but those in CT were larger and higher, respectively, than those in IC and NT. In addition, the mitochondrial size in preserved endothelial cells in CT was larger than that in IC and NT. Conclusion: Necrotic changes in endothelial organelles characterized by swelling of nuclei and mitochondria were prominent in CT saphenous vein graft. The normally maintained ultrastructure of preserved endothelial cells in NT saphenous vein graft could contribute to long-term patency.

Association between SYNTAX II Score and late saphenous vein graft failure in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a well-established treatment modality for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). Syntax II Score has been established as novel scoring system with better prediction of postprocedural outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of SYNTAX II Score for predicting late saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure in patients undergoing isolated CABG. METHODS: The records of 1,875 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG with at least one SVG were investigated. Those who underwent coronary angiography and SVGs angiography at least 1 year after the CABG were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of SVG failure. For each group, predictors of late SVG failure and subsequent clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: According to this study, the presence of hypertension, higher rates of repeat revascularization, and higher SYNTAX II Scores were found to be independent predictors of late SVG failure. In addition, the prognostic value of SYNTAX II Score was found to be significantly higher than anatomical SYNTAX Score in terms of predicting late SVG failure and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event. CONCLUSIONS: There was a strong association between SYNTAX II Score and late SVG failure in patients undergoing isolated CABG.

Revascularización de arteria humeral con vena safena invertida, en traumatismo vascular por arma blanca / Revascularization of the humeral artery with a vein saphenous inverted in vascular trauma by stabbing

Introducción: Los traumatismos vasculares de los miembros son muy frecuentes en la actualidad, cuando no reciben la atención requerida, pueden evolucionar a complicaciones graves: pérdida del miembro y muerte del paciente. Objetivo: Describir la técnica de reparación de la arteria humeral mediante el uso de vena safena, en un caso con traumatismo de la arteria humeral, con compromiso vascular. Caso clínico: Paciente de 37 años de edad con antecedentes de enfermedad psiquiátrica, con diagnóstico de herida por arma blanca con compromiso vascular en antebrazo izquierdo, de cuatro horas de evolución. Al ingreso se encontraba inestable, con choque hipovolémico, miembro cianótico y ausencia de pulsos distales. Se indicó, por vía parenteral, antibióticos, soluciones cristaloides y sangre. En el quirófano se encontró sección de total de la arteria humeral, se realizó revascularización con injerto de vena safena invertida. El paciente evolucionó favorablemente y egresó al tercer día. Once meses después se realizó ecografía dópler y se constató buena permeabilidad del injerto. Conclusiones: La técnica de revascularización con vena safena invertida contribuyó de forma satisfactoria en la supervivencia y calidad de vida del paciente tratado (AU)

Introduction: The vascular traumatisms of the limbs are very frequent at present. When these injuries do not receive the required care they can evolve to serious complications, which includes the loss of the limb or death. Objective: To describe the brachial artery repair technique using the saphenous vein in a case with brachial artery trauma with vascular compromise. Clinical case: 37-year-old patient with a history of psychiatric illness, with a diagnosis of a stab wound with vascular compromise in the left forearm of four hours of evolution. On admission, he was unstable, hypovolemic shock, with cyanotic limb and absence of distal pulses. Intravenous antibiotics, crystalloid solution and blood were indicated. The patient was transferred to the surgery and a total section of the brachial artery was found. The revascularization technique was performed with an inverted saphenous vein graft. The patient evolved favorably and was discharged on the third day. Eleven months later, Doppler ultrasound was performed and good graft patency was confirmed. Conclusions: The inverted saphenous vein revascularization technique contributed satisfactorily to the survival and quality of life of the treated case(AU)

Numerical study on the mechanical coupling of external vascular stent and vein graft in coronary artery bypass surgery / 生物医学工程学杂志

External support stent is a potential means for restricting the deformation and reducing wall stress of the vein graft, thereby improving the long-term patency of the graft in coronary artery bypass surgery. However, there still lacks a theoretical reference for choosing the size of stent based on the diameter of graft. Taking the VEST (venous external support) stent currently used in the clinical practice as the object of study, we constructed three models of VEST stents with different diameters and coupled them respectively to a model of the great saphenous vein graft, and numerically simulated the expansion-contraction process of the vein graft under the constraint of the stents to quantitatively evaluate the influence of stent size on the radial deformation and wall stress of the vein graft. The results showed that while the stent with a small diameter had a high restrictive effect in comparison with larger stents, it led to more severe concentration of wall stress and sharper changes in radial deformation along the axis of the graft, which may have adverse influence on the graft. In order to solve the aforementioned problems, we ameliorated the design of the stent by means of changing the cross-sectional shape of the thick and thin alloy wires from circle into rectangle and square, respectively, while keeping the cross-sectional areas of alloy wires and stent topology unchanged. Further numerical simulations demonstrated that the ameliorated stent evidently reduced the degrees of wall stress concentration and abrupt changes in radial deformation, which may help improve the biomechanical environment of the graft while maintaining the restrictive role of the stent.

Research progression of coronary artery bypass grafting and perioperative secondary prevention / 医学研究生学报

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been a standard revascularization method for three-vessel disease and left main coronary artery disease since its development in the 1950s. In recent years, with the development of basic research, clinical diagnosis, surgical instruments, and interdisciplinary work, significant progress has been made in the surgical approaches, saphenous vein graft harvesting, and secondary prevention during the perioperative period. This article reviews the surgical methods of coronary artery bypass grafting, the development status and hot issues of perioperative secondary prevention.

Exceso de mortalidad no cardíaca en pacientes sometidos a angioplastía de puentes coronarios / Excess non cardiac mortality in patients undergoing PCI of venous coronary bypass grafts

Resumen: Introducción Las fallas de los puentes venosos pueden llegar casi al 50% a 10 años y la angioplastía percutánea es el tratamiento de elección. Estos pacientes constituyen un grupo de muy alto riesgo cardiovascular con tasas de mortalidad cercanas al 30% en el mediano plazo. Objetivo Caracterizar a la población sometida a angioplastia de puentes coronarios (APC) y comparar su mortalidad con un grupo pareado de pacientes intervenidos con Infarto agudo al miocardio con elevación del segmento ST (IAMCEST). Métodos Estudio retrospectivo de tipo Caso-Control que incluyó a pacientes con APC entre los años 2010-2016 comparados con igual número de controles con IAMCEST pareados por edad y sexo. Se analizaron características clínicas del procedimiento y mortalidad, tanto global como de causa cardiaca usando T Student, Chi2 y curvas de Kaplan Meier. Resultados Se identificaron 63 pacientes sometidos a APC (total 76 procedimientos). Los puentes más comúnmente intervenidos fueron a la arteria circunfleja 48,7%. Hubo 18 (28,5%) pacientes fallecidos en el grupo APC y 6 (9,5%) pacientes en el grupo con IAM-CEST, lo que resultó en un exceso de mortalidad global en pacientes con APC (HR 3,02; IC 95% 1,11 - 8,22, p=0,02). Esta diferencia se debió a una mayor mortalidad de causa no cardiaca en el grupo APC (12,7% (n=8) vs 3,2% (n= 2) [p=0,04]). Conclusión Los pacientes sometidos a APC presentan una mortalidad 3 veces mayor que aquellos pacientes con IAMCEST, principalmente derivada de una mayor mortalidad no cardíaca.

Abstract: Background Failure rates of saphenous vein grafts can reach almost 50% at 10 years and percutaneous angioplasty is the treatment of choice. This is a group with a very high cardiovascular risk, with mid-term mortality rates close to 30%. Aim To describe the population undergoing coronary bypass angioplasty (CBA) and compare their mortality with an age and gender matched group of patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (STEMI) Methods This was a retrospective case-control study including patients with CBA between 2010-2016. This group was compared with the same number of controls with STEMI matched by age and sex. Clinical characteristics, procedure variables and overall mortality as well as cardiac mortality were analyzed using Student's T test, Chi squared test and Kaplan Meier curves (significance set at p <0.05). Results: We identified 63 patients undergoing CBA (76 procedures). The most commonly intervened bypasses were to the circumflex artery (48.7%). There were 18 (28.5%) patients who died in the CBA group and 6 (9.5%) patients in the STEMI group, which resulted in an excess of global mortality risk in patients with CBA (HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.11 - 8.22, p = 0.02). This difference was driven by a higher non-cardiac mortality in the CBA group (12.7% (n = 8) vs 3.2% (n = 2) [p = 0.04]) Conclusion Patients undergoing CBA have a mortality rate more than three times that of the STEMI patients, mainly due to a higher non-cardiac mortality.

The comparison of clinical outcomes of the first and the second-generation drug-eluting stents implanted in vein grafts after coronary artery bypass graft / 天津医药

@#Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of the first and the second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) implanted in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Methods A total of 108 patients with coronary angiography and DES implanting in SVG due to ischemia symptoms after CABG were collected in this study, including 69 patients with the first-generation of DES (drug-eluting: sirolimus) and 39 patients with the secondgeneration of DES (drug-eluting: zotarolimus or everolimus). The success rate of stents and mortality in hospital were compared between two groups of patients. The major adverse cardiac events (MACE), such as all-cause death, target vessel revascularization (TVR) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 2-year follow-up were also compared between the two groups of patients. The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method, and the MACE free survival rates of two groups of patients were compared. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors for MACE in patients with SVG stent implantation. Results There were no significant differences in the success rate of stents and mortality in hospital between the two groups. In average 2-year follow-up, a total of 37 cases of MACE were performed. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of MACE between the two groups (34.8% vs. 33.3%, P＞0.05). The proportion of TVR was significantly lower in the second-generation group than that of the first-generation group (13.0% vs. 2.6%, P＜0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that there were no statistically differences in the survival rates of no-cumulative events between the two groups (81.2% vs. 79.5%, Log-rank χ2=0.029, P＞0.05). COX regression analysis showed that diabetes (HR=2.530, 95% CI: 1.008-6.345, P=0.041) and stent diameter (HR=1.143, 95% CI: 1.043-1.253, P=0.004) were independent predictors for the MACE in patients implanted stents in SVG. Conclusion There are no significant differences in mortality in hospital and the MACE in 2-year follow-up between the patients of two generations of DES implanting in the SVG after coronary artery bypass grafting. The proportion of TVR is lower in the second-generation DES group. Patients with diabetes and large diameter stents have a poor prognosis.

The relation between blood routine test indicators and advanced saphenous vein graft disease in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting / 天津医药

Objective To investigate the correlation between blood routine test indicators and advanced saphenous vein graft disease (SVGD) in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods By defining SVGD as an occlusion of 50% or more of the saphenous vein graft (SVG) excluding distal anastomotic occlusion, patients were divided into SVGD group and non-SVGD group, who suffered CABG over 1 year with recurrent angina and underwent coronary angiography (CAG) operation from March 2015 to January 2016 in Tianjin Chest Hospital. Results of blood routine test data were compared between two groups. The multivariable Logistic regression was analyzed for the relationship between blood routine test indicators and advanced SVGD. Results There were 148 patients in the study, 109 patients in SVGD group and 39 patients in non-SVGD group. There were significant differences in level of red blood cell distribution width (RDW:0.123 2 ± 0.008 9 vs. 0.120 2 ± 0.005 2, P0.127 5[OR (95%CI):4.905 (1.058-22.747), P=0.042], NLR>3.34[OR(95%CI):4.013(1.466-10.987), P=0.007]were independent risk factors for advanced SVGD, as well as PCT>0.185 [OR(95%CI):2.636(1.098-6.324), P=0.030]might be risk factor for advanced SVGD. Conclusion RDW>0.127 5, NLR>3.34 could indicate advanced SVGD. We need more samples to support that PCT>0.185 is used to be risk indicators for advanced SVGD.

Effects of intraoperative expansion on expression of stenosis-related genes in saphenous vein graft / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of high pressure distention on the expression of stenosis-related genes of saphenous vein graft(SVG) during the coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG).Methods The biopsy specimens of saphenous vein collected from 10 patients who have undergone CABG,were divided into expansion group and no-expansion group.Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining were performed for examination of mRNA and protein expression of VE-cad,Egr-1,VCAN respectively.Student's t and Chi-square test were used to do statistic analysis.Results The results of RT-PCR showed that the mRNA transcription of Egr-1,VCAN in the expansion group were statistically significantly higher than those in no-expansion group(P<0.05).The mRNA transcription VE-cad in expansion group was statistically significantly lower than that in the no-expansion group(P<0.05).The immunohistochemical staining results showed that the expression of Egr-1 and VCAN in expansion group were significantly stronger than those in no-expansion group,while the expression of VE-cad was significantly lower than no-expansion group.Conclusion The intraoperative expansion of SVG can increase the expression of stenosis-related genes Egr-1 and Versican,and decrease the expression of stenosis-related gene VE-cad,which may be related with the SVG stenosis after CABG.

Vanishing Venous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts after Sepsis

The dehiscence of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) is a rare, often fatal, complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We present the case of a 57-year-old man who underwent hemiarch graft interposition and CABG for a Stanford type A aortic dissection. Five months after discharge, the patient developed streptococcal sepsis caused by a hemodialysis catheter. Complete rupture of the proximal anastomoses of the saphenous veins and containment by the obliterated pericardial cavity was observed 25 months after the initial operation. The patient was successfully treated surgically. This report describes a patient who developed potentially fatal dehiscence of SVGs secondary to infection and outlines preventive and management strategies for this complication.

Concomitant Repair of Superficial Femoral Artery and Vein in a Case of Peripheral Vascular Trauma.

Vascular trauma results from penetrating, blunt or iatrogenic injuries. Young males are at highest risk and the leading causes of injury include motor vehicle crashes, falls, wounds from firearms, wounds from cutting or piercing instruments and burns. Peripheral vascular injuries account for 80% of all cases of vascular trauma. We report the case of a 21-year-old male patient with history of fall from 10 feet height on to a sharp metallic plate. Patient presented to emergency department with a lacerated wound of 15 × 10 cm on right mid thigh with active pulsatile bleed. After fluid resuscitation, patient was immediately shifted to operation room where examination revealed complete transaction of superficial femoral artery and vein with 10 cm tissue loss of both. Both vessels were reconstructed using saphenous venous graft from opposite thigh. Postoperatively, patient made a steady recovery with strong pedal pulsations and no edema or neurological deficit. Patients with hard signs of arterial trauma should be taken for surgical exploration without any diagnostic investigations. Traumatic muscular lacerations with gross contamination of wound precluded the use of any prosthetic graft and hence saphenous venous graft was most appropriate. Review of literature reveals that patients with concomitant peripheral arterial and venous injuries have a very high amputation rate and simultaneous reconstruction of both leads to improved chances of limb salvage. It is our recommendation that such patients should receive postoperative anticoagulation to avoid thrombosis of graft in venous position.

Surgical Strategy and Tactics for a Saphenous Vein Graft Aneurysm / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 74-year-old woman underwent a triple CABG with saphenous vein grafts to the left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery and right coronary artery (RCA) 17 years previously. Periodic echocardiography by primary care doctor showed a mediastinal mass. She was referred to our hospital and we diagnosed saphenous vein graft aneurysm (SVGA) by enhanced computed tomography. The aneurysm was 60 mm in diameter and originated from the SVG, extending to the RCA. Only around the proximal anastomosis was enhanced, while the other part of the aneurysm was filled with thrombus. Coronary angiography showed collateral circulation to RCA and the other 2 grafts were patent. Resternotomy was done under cardiopulmonary bypass and closure of the proximal anastomosis with aneurysm excision was successfully performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged on the 26th post-operative day. We report our surgical strategy in this case.

Revascularization of the Superior Mesenteric Artery in an Intestinal Angina / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 69-year-old woman suffered from postprandial abdominal pain and hematochezia. Colonoscopy suggested ischemic colitis, and intestinal angina was diagnosed by multirow-detector computed tomography (CT), which showed occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). On enhanced CT, there was extensive calcification on the aortic wall and aortic expansion and several mural thrombi in the thoracoabdominal and abdominal aorta, as well as severe stenoses in the bilateral common iliac arteries. A bypass from the right renal artery, which was the only artery without significant stenosis of the major branches of the abdominal artery, to the SMA, was created using a saphenous vein graft. Postoperatively, the postprandial abdominal pain disappeared, and the patient was discharged after a good postoperative course.

Clinical Application of Great Saphenous Vein Graft in the Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction

Long-term outcomes of saphenous vein graft stenting compared with native coronary artery stenting in patients with previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery / Stents en vasos coronarios nativos comparados con endoprótesis en injertos de vena safena en pacientes con cirugía de revascularización coronaria previa. Evolución a largo plazo

Propósito del estudio: el objetivo primario del estudio fue valorar la tasa de eventos cardiacos mayores después de cirugía de revascularización coronaria por angioplastia con stent en el injerto de vena safena, comparados con los de angioplastia con stent en la arteria coronaria nativa, tanto en el periodo de hospitalización como a largo plazo. Métodos: estudiamos a 127 pacientes, 49 con stent en injerto de vena safena (grupo 1) y a 78 con stent en arterias coronarias innatas (grupo 2). Resultados: no hubo diferencias significativas en la edad, ni en frecuencia de diabetes, tabaquismo, hipertensión arterial, dyslipidemia, fracción de expulsión del ventrículo izquierdo o clase funcional entre los grupos. La incidencia del fenómeno de no reflujo persistente fue mayor en el grupo 1 (10.2% contra 1.2%, p = 0.0001) y la suma de eventos cardiacos sólo fue distinta durante el primer mes (10.2% contra 2.5%, p = 0.041). La supervivencia sin eventos cardiacos a 36 meses fue menor en los pacientes del grupo 1 (65.0% contra 89.1%, p = 0.024). Conclusiones: La suma de eventos cardiacos mayores fue mayor en el grupo 1 y la supervivencia sin dichos eventos a 3 años fue superior en los pacientes con endoprótesis en arteria coronaria natural.

Objective: Our main objective was to compare the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of saphenous vein graft stenting and native coronary artery stenting in patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: We studied 127 patients who had prior coronary artery bypass; they were divided in two groups, according to the kind of percutaneous coronary intervention performed. The first group included 49 patients with saphenous vein graft stenting and the second group included 78 patients who underwent native coronary artery stenting. Results: There was no significant difference in age, incidence of diabetes, smoking, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, left ventricular ejection fraction or in the New York Heart Association functional class between both groups. The incidence of no reflow phenomenon was higher in group 1 (10.2% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.0001). The cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events was different between groups at 1 month (10.2% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.041). There was a lower MACE (major adverse cardiovascular events) free survival at 36 months in the saphenous vein graft stenting group (65.0% vs. 89.1%, p = 0.024). Conclusions: Major in-hospital complications occurred more frequently in the saphenous vein graft stented group. MACE-free survival at 3 years was higher in the native coronary artery stent patients.

Human saphenous vein organ culture under controlled hemodynamic conditions

INTRODUCTION: Saphenous vein grafting is still widely used to revascularize ischemic myocardium. The effectiveness of this procedure is limited by neointima formation and accelerated atherosclerosis, which frequently leads to graft occlusion. A better understanding of this process is important to clarify the mechanisms of vein graft disease and to aid in the formulation of strategies for prevention and/or therapeutics. OBJECTIVE: To develop an ex vivo flow system that allows for controlled hemodynamics in order to mimic arterial and venous conditions. METHODS: Human saphenous veins were cultured either under venous (flow: 5 ml/min) or arterial hemodynamic conditions (flow: 50 ml/min, pressure: 80 mmHg) for 1-, 2- and 4-day periods. Cell viability, cell density and apoptosis were compared before and after these intervals using MTT, Hoeschst 33258 stain, and TUNEL assays, respectively. RESULTS: Fresh excised tissue segments were well preserved prior to the study. Hoechst 33258 and MTT stains showed progressive losses in cell density and cell viability in veins cultured under arterial hemodynamic conditions from 1 to 4 days, while no alterations were observed in veins cultured under venous conditions. Although the cell density from 1-day cultured veins under arterial conditions was similar to that of freshly excised veins, the TUNEL assay indicated that most of these cells were undergoing apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The results observed resemble the events taking place during early in vivo arterial-vein grafting and provide evidence that an ex vivo perfusion system may be useful for the identification of new therapeutic targets that ameliorate vein graft remodeling and increase graft patency over time.

The Effect of the Experimental Parotid Duct-conjunctivoplasty Using Saphenous Vein Graft

Experimental parotid duct-conjunctivoplasty was carried out using great saphenous vein graft in six dogs. After the operation, the tear meniscus level in the operated eye was higher than that of the control eye. The parotid secretion was noticed through the conjunctival opening of the vein graft in the lower lateral fornix. Profuse tearing was not detected during the time of having meal, which was supposed due to a good lacrimal drainage. In Schirmer test of the operated eye, the preoperative mean value was similar to the postoperative value. But, the intraprandial mean value of Schirmer test was measured as slightly higher than the preprandial value. In paired t-test, no significant difference could be detected. On scintigraphic study with 99mTc-O4, three cases of the four dogs revealed the parotid flow with good patency of the grafted vein. These results suggest that the parotid duct-conjunctivoplasty will be an effective surgery for dry eye syndrome, if the grafted vein could be kept from an obstruction for a prolonged period.