Vascular antispastic medication should take priority over other antihypertensives after coronary artery bypass grafting using a radial artery conduit

Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2011 Dec;13(6):679-81. doi: 10.1510/icvts.2011.280537. Epub 2011 Sep 4.

Abstract

Radial artery conduits have recently been used more often in coronary artery bypass grafting because of their potentially better long-term patency than saphenous vein conduits. However, vasospasm of the radial artery conduit due to its nature as a muscular artery has always been of concern and a variety of vasodilators have empirically been used to reduce the risk of spasm. When a patient who was preoperatively taking antihypertensive agents undergoes coronary artery bypass using a radial artery graft, and if he/she is not hypertensive postoperatively, it is not always easy to decide what medication to start with. We report a case of a patient with a radial artery graft who did not receive vasodilators after surgery due to hypotension. The patient developed vasospasm of the radial artery conduit which did not respond to direct injection of vasodilators into the conduit but recovered after taking oral vasodilators for four weeks.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Antihypertensive Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Coronary Artery Bypass / adverse effects
  • Coronary Artery Bypass / methods*
  • Coronary Artery Disease / surgery*
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Graft Occlusion, Vascular / diagnosis
  • Graft Occlusion, Vascular / drug therapy*
  • Graft Occlusion, Vascular / etiology
  • Graft Occlusion, Vascular / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Injections, Intra-Arterial
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Radial Artery / transplantation*
  • Spasm / diagnosis
  • Spasm / drug therapy*
  • Spasm / etiology
  • Spasm / physiopathology
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vasoconstriction / drug effects*
  • Vasodilator Agents / administration & dosage*

Substances

  • Antihypertensive Agents
  • Vasodilator Agents