Intraoperative assessment of myocardial blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry after mammary artery grafting

Myocardial perfusion was recorded intraoperatively with laser Doppler flowmetry in ten patients submitted to coronary bypass surgery. After declamping of the grafted mammary artery, the local myocardial perfusion averaged 61% of the perfusion recorded after declamping also the aorta. Laser Doppler flowmetry is proposed to offer a means of monitoring the improvement in regional myocardial perfusion immediately after internal mammary grafting. In one case declamping the mammary artery alone resulted in a myocardial perfusion below 5% of the flow recorded after declamping also the aorta, indicating a poor improvement in perfusion by the grafted vessel.<>