Harvest of the radial artery for coronary artery surgery preserves maximal blood flow of the forearm

Background Use of the radial artery as a conduit for coronary artery surgery has increased dramatically. It has been assumed that blood flow to the forearm will not be compromised by its removal. Methods Sixteen patients who had the left radial artery harvested for coronary surgery at least 3 months earlier were studied. The right radial artery was not harvested. The radial, ulnar, and brachial artery diameters and flows were measured using pulsed wave Doppler with a 15-MHz linear array transducer. Measurements were performed at rest, with the right radial artery compressed, and after ischemia with forearm exercise. Results At rest, the (mean ± SE) diameter of the left ulnar artery was consistently greater than the right (2.4 ± 0.09 versus 2.1 ± 0.09 mm, p = 0.001) as was flow (74 ± 9.9 versus 48 ± 8.5 mL/min, p = 0.005). There was no difference between diameters or flows in the brachial arteries. After compression of the radial artery, flow increased in the right ulnar artery from 39 ± 8.0 to 72 ± 17.6 mL/min (p = 0.019) without an increase in ulnar artery size and was not different from the left ulnar artery flow at rest (p = 0.440). After ischemic forearm exercise, flow increased in the two brachial arteries almost equally (left, 348 ± 50; right, 371 ± 63 mL/min). Conclusions Blood flow to the forearm and hand is not compromised by harvest of the radial artery.