Vein Removal Method Linked to Bypass Results
WEDNESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- A study originally designed for a completely different purpose has unearthed a disturbing finding about coronary artery bypass surgery: The way that the vein used for the bypass is removed from the body appears to affect the long-term outcome of the surgery.
People whose veins are removed by the minimally invasive technique called endoscopic harvesting had higher rates of bypass failure, heart attacks and death, according to a report in the July 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The finding was entirely unexpected, said study senior author Dr. John H. Alexander, a cardiologist at Duke Clinical Research Institute. The study of 3,000 people who had bypass surgery was designed to determine whether treating the removed veins with a drug would improve results. (It didn't.) Only longer-term analysis of the study data revealed the difference in outcome between veins obtained by endoscopic harvesting and those obtained through conventional surgery.
"The mortality difference did not become apparent for at least nine or 10 months," Alexander said. "No one would have thought you needed a year or more to detect a difference in outcome."
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