Increased warm ischemia time during vessel harvest decreases the primary patency of cryopreserved conduits in patients undergoing lower extremity bypass.

Objective: Autologous vein is the preferred conduit for lower extremity bypass. However, it is often unavailable because of prior harvest or inadequate for bypass owing to insufficient caliber. Cryopreserved cadaveric vessels can be used as conduits for lower extremity revascularization when autogenous vein is not available and the use of prosthetic grafts is not appropriate.