Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting
Coronary vessel or artery disease is reaching unprecedented numbers in the world, and with that, there is a marginal increase in the number of patients undergoing a coronary artery bypass graft. It is a very important life-saving surgery. It can extend life expectancy. In this procedure, another vessel like an artery, such as an internal mammary artery or a vein, like a saphenous vein, is used to create a bypass to the clogged or diseased vessel. It is a very major surgery with its own complications.
In earlier times, grafts were removed by putting long skin incisions on the skin. The length of the incision was as long as the graft that was needed. Therefore if a 90 cm long graft was needed, a 90 cm long incision was given. It was associated with an increased hospital stay, a long time for recovery, and pain at the site of the