A CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) requires the removal of a vein or an artery from one part of the body to be used as a conduit for bypassing the blocked arteries of the heart. The number of blockages in the heart decide the number of bypasses required, that in turn dictate the length of the conduit (vein or artery) to be harvested. Usually the surgeon removes either the vein from the leg (saphenous vein) or an artery from the L hand (radial artery) .
The incision used for the vein harvesting is usually considered the longest incision in any surgery (the entire length of the leg) and due to its length, often results in poor healing, swelling of the leg and is often cosmetically unacceptable. The radial artery harvesting requires an incision along the full length of the forearm and is thus cosmetically unacceptable. Endoscopic harvesting of these conduits (saphenous vein or the…
