Endoscopic or Open Radial Artery Harvest in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

In this randomized trial of 300 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, endoscopic radial artery harvest was compared with open harvest. At three months, mean Hand Function Questionnaire scores were 7.20 with endoscopic harvest vs 7.74 with open harvest, reflecting a mean difference of 0.52 points (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.98; P=0.03). Neurologic deficits occurred in 21.2 percent of patients after endoscopic harvest compared with 55.0 percent after open harvest (relative risk with open harvest, 2.61; 95 percent CI, 1.90 to 3.63). Serious adverse events occurred in 6.0 percent vs 2.7 percent of patients, respectively (relative risk with open harvest, 0.45; 95 percent CI, 0.13 to 1.34). Endoscopic harvest was associated with modestly better hand function and fewer neurologic complications.