Electron beam coronary angiography to assess patency in the off-pump coronary bypass graft

Background Off-pump coronary artery bypass is widely practiced today, with critics questioning patency rates. This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using electron beam coronary angiography to determine patency in this group of patients. Methods A total of 27 patients from a series of 653 off-pump coronary artery bypass patients were selected at random and, after informed consent, underwent electron beam coronary angiography with an Imatron C150 single slide mode using Ioversol as contrast material injected in an antecubital vein. Results A total of 88 bypasses were studied with an average of 3.2 ± 0.7125 grafts per patient, with a mean follow-up of 20.3 months. Four bypasses were occluded. Conclusions Electron beam coronary angiography appears to be a safe, suitable test to demonstrate patency in the off-pump coronary artery bypass graft patient, allowing study of a large group of patients without the risk or discomfort of cardiac catheterization.