Does bilateral ITA grafting increase perioperative complications? Outcome of 4462 patients with bilateral versus 4204 patients with single ITA bypass.

Objective: Superior patency of internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafting to saphenous veins is conclusive. The aim of the present study was to compare the early outcome of patients receiving either bilateral ITA (BITA) or single ITA (SITA) grafts and to identify risk factors for perioperative complications, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, or advanced age.

Methods: All 8666 patients with isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG, including emergent cases or redos) operated between January 1994 and June 2004 receiving either BITA (n=4462) or SITA (n=4204) grafting were analyzed retrospectively.