Is endoscopic radial artery harvesting open for business?

ABSTRACT

With the resurgence of the radial artery in coronary artery bypass grafting, the debate on the optimal harvesting technique continues. Here, we comment on a randomized series in which the authors conclude that endoscopic harvesting techniques offer the benefit of improved cosmetic outcomes and decreased neurological complications with comparable graft-related outcomes when compared with open harvesting. We conclude that although this study is well designed and conducted, there are several areas of concern including surgical technique and statistical power.