Expanding the use of the internal mammary artery to improve patency in coronary artery bypass grafting.

To improve the early and late benefits from coronary artery bypass grafting, we have expanded the use of the internal mammary artery by bypassing three or more coronary arteries with mammary grafts. Experience with higher power magnification and the use of the single internal mammary artery are necessary prerequisites of this procedure. The first 100 patients who had three or more mammary artery-coronary artery anastomoses are reviewed. Eighty-six patients received three mammary-coronary anastomoses, 13 received four, and one received six. An average of 3.2 internal mammary artery grafts and 1.7 saphenous vein grafts per patient were placed. Twenty-five of 27 mammary grafts were open on postoperative graft visualization. There were no early deaths and only one patient died late of complications of gangrene of the lower extremities. None of the patients had significant left ventricular failure and only three had perioperative myocardial infarctions. None of the patients complain of angina and 58 of 59 postoperative stress tests were normal. This procedure should significantly reduce the late closure of bypass grafts and the complications thereof, including the need for reoperation.