A novel surgical device is popularly known as external venous support (VEST). During coronary bypass grafting surgery, we use VEST as a surgical method to increase the life and durability of the leg vein. These results came out after many trials conducted in National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Cardiothoracic surgical trials and network.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery With The Use Of Leg Veins
Before getting used in surgical procedures, at very first, it must be approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test the efficiency of support of the device. Long-term studies may continue further to withstand FDA approval. Data exhibits veins grafting has limited longevity. After ten years of coronary bypass surgery, about half of the treatment failed to resist longer.
In the human heart, the coronary artery is the main aspect of various functions. In case of any issue with this artery, the patient has to suffer from huge cardiac issues.
To overcome this situation, the only option left with one is to get a bypass surgery done where the leg vein is used to remove the part that has got clogged and keep the vein there to have an easy flow of the blood. This makes the heart work well and as expected, but now the researchers try to have another option for this surgery also.
A number of researches have been conducted to invent methods that can improve the outcome of surgery and prevent further complications such as repeated procedures in patients. First of all, let us introduce what coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) means and how it performs. It is a widely used method among cardiac surgeries. CABG helps in improving the survival rate of patients with coronary artery diseases.
Usually, through this device, a healthy saphenous vein is grafted onto the artery and made to pass from clogged vessels to restore the flow speed of blood. We very well know saphenous veins in the leg experience low pressure while pressure artery blood flows at a higher pressure. This can lead to initial hyperplasia. In this hyperplasia, walls become thick, causing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis leads to the closure of vein graft.
The appearance of VEST is very simple. It is a small device wrapped by fine cobalt-chromium wire mesh covering around pencil size vein grafts. The external support of VEST is designed in such a way to provide external prevention from stretching when veins are under high pressure. This will be significant in the survival of patient improved outcomes.
Several studies performed by the researchers were said to study the VEST efficiency. Random patient trials at 17 different cardiovascular surgery centers are conducted. The patient’s one vein is supported with VEST, and the other one remains with no external support.
When there is thickness on the wall, it determines and measures the success level of the trial-tested. By placing a catheter inside the graft, access can be done intravascular ultrasound after 12 months of the surgery.
According to the collected data from the tested patients shows that VEST grafts have a higher amount of hyperplasia, but testing other patient ultrasound shows VEST grafts have lower hyperplasia than other non-VEST vein grafts. Continuous efforts of the researchers who are trying to result out the prospect of the device have helped them to get good results in terms of reducing the survival of coronary vein drafts.
Coronary artery bypass grafting is mainly extended the blockage in the coronary arteries, location, and size of the blockage. The success of CABG depends on the long-term patency of your veins and arteries graft used and Patients’ medical factors, size of the arteries.
Therefore researchers strongly recommend CABG grafting surgery to treat blockage and narrowing coronary arteries to restore the blood supply.
