Association of Internal Mammary Artery Flow with Different Comorbidities and Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Complications

Objective The internal mammary artery (IMA) is commonly used arterial graft for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). The IMA has a better patency and survival. This study considers different comorbidities and conditions where IMA flow may be low. Therefore, the main objective is to determine the flow of IMA in different diseases, its relation to gender, age, and in different blood groups in order to prevent possible complications. Methods A prospective study was conducted at the Cardiac Surgery Unit, Civil Hospital Karachi from January 2013 to December 2015. The data of 158 patients who underwent primary, isolated, and CABG surgery was collected. Free flow of IMA was measured immediately after harvesting for 30 seconds within a syringe, and its relationship with different diseases and conditions was examined. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire from the patients' medical record files and it was later analyzed and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, V17 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY). Results The mean flow was 11.6 ± 9.6 ml. There was no difference in flow related to gender, diabetes, smoking, renal disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There was significantly higher flow in the age group of 50 to 60 years (p = 0.002), hypertensive patients (p = 0.016), patients with liver disease (p = 0.001), BMI > 30 (p = 0.041), and the blood group AB+ (p = 0.02). The atrial fibrillation and readmissions were higher in patients who had low flow. Low flow IMA, which was used on left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis patients, showed a significantly higher need of pharmacological and mechanical support. Conclusion IMA should be used carefully in patients where its flow is low; conditions must be analyzed where flow may be low to avoid complications. Further studies are warranted.