The contracting and relaxing responses of human internal mammary artery grafts harvested by two different methods

Perioperative spasm of internal mammary artery is a common experience in coronary artery bypass grafting. Many techniques were described of harvesting the internal mammary artery to prevent vasospasm. We investigated the comparison of the contracting and relaxing responses of human internal mammary artery grafts harvested by two different methods. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the harvesting technique. In the first and second groups arteries were harvested by classical and carbon dioxide insufflation techniques, respectively. In both groups, endothelial function of arteries was assessed by precontracting the rings with phenylephrine (10 −5 M) and dilatating them by cumulative acetylcholine (10 −8 to 10 −5 M) concentrations. Cumulative concentration–response curves for phenylephrine (10 −8 to 10 −4 M), noradrenaline (10 −9 to 10 −4 M), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (10 −9 to 10 −4 M) were obtained in all groups. Endothelial integrity of arteries were histopathologically evaluated. In both groups, acetylcholine caused concentration-dependent relaxations in rings precontracted with phenylephrine (10 −5 M). In arteries harvested by carbon dioxide insufflation technique, acetylcholine caused significantly higher relaxations compared to the rings obtained by classical technique ( p < 0.05). In all rings of study groups, phenylephrine, noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine caused concentration-dependent contractions. There was not any significant difference in concentration-dependent responses of these contracting pharmacological agents between the groups. Histopathological evaluation revealed no major arterial damage in both groups. Carbon dioxide insufflation technique does seem not only to protect the integrity of the endothelium and the whole vessel, but also prevent the possible vasospasm of the internal mammary artery segments.