Use of an ultrasonic surgical aspirator to expose buried coronary arteries.

Abstract

In coronary artery bypass grafting, the target arteries for grafting can be buried in thick adipose tissue or myocardium, and exposure may be difficult. We used an ultrasonic surgical aspirator to expose buried coronary arteries. Fat tissue or myocardium covering coronary arteries was removed, and target arteries were exposed with little bleeding. No arrhythmia or coronary spastic event occurred during its application, and bypass grafting could be completed. In postoperative angiography, no deformity or shrinkage of coronary arteries was observed at the sites at which the ultrasonic aspirator was applied.