Long-Term Patency Rates of Internal Thoracic Artery Grafts in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (OPCABG) in a North Indian Cohort.

The Internal Thoracic Artery (ITA) is the conduit of choice for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) due to its superior long-term patency. While extensive data exists from Western populations, specific outcomes in Indian cohorts, particularly with Off-Pump CABG (OPCABG), remain less extensively documented. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term patency rates of ITA grafts in patients undergoing OPCABG in a North Indian tertiary care center. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 450 patients who underwent OPCABG with at least one ITA graft between January 2010 and December 2015. Graft patency was assessed at 5 and 10 years using follow-up angiography, symptom evaluation, and clinical outcomes. Our preliminary findings indicate a 5-year ITA patency rate of 96.2% and a 10-year patency rate of 89.5%. These rates are comparable to international benchmarks, suggesting excellent long-term durability of ITA grafts even in the context of OPCABG in this specific demographic. Factors influencing patency, such as patient demographics, comorbidity profiles (e.g., diabetes prevalence), and intraoperative surgical techniques, were also analyzed. The study underscores the sustained efficacy of ITA grafts in OPCABG, advocating for its continued preference in myocardial revascularization for North Indian patients, contributing valuable regional data to the global surgical literature.