Unlocking vascular vitality: Exploring the impact of LIMA harvesting technique on endothelial health.

Background: This study investigates the impact of different harvesting techniques on the morphology and endothelial function of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: Fifty-three patients undergoing elective CABG were randomly assigned to two groups based on the harvesting technique: traditional clipping and nonclipping. Histological analyses revealed that arteries in the nonclipped group exhibited greater dilation and preserved endothelial integrity compared to the control group.

Results: The nonclipped group exhibited greater arterial dilation and preserved endothelial integrity compared to the clipped group. Immunostaining for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) showed significantly higher expression in the nonclipped group, conversly COX-2 staining showed fewer expression in the nonclipped group indicating better endothelial function preservation.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that maintaining perfusion during LIMA harvesting may improve endothelial function and potentially enhance graft patency in the long term. Further research is warranted to validate these results and optimize harvesting techniques for CABG procedures.