What is the benefit of venous mapping in saphenous vein harvesting?

Objectives: This study aimed to demonstrate that the use of the vein mapping technique before coronary artery bypass surgeries can reduce postoperative complications. Patients and methods: A total of 245 patients (181 males, 64 females; mean age: 64.6±9.4 years; range, 43 to 85 years) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Başkent University Hospital between April 2019 and September 2020 were enrolled in this study. Patients with early postoperative mortality (first month), deep vein thrombosis, or a history of lymphedema, patients undergoing emergent surgery, and reoperation cases were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups: 109 patients (mean age: 64.5±8.9 years) who were treated by the conventional method (CM group) and 136 patients (mean age: 64.7±9.5 years) who were treated with the venous mapping technique (VM group). Of the patients in the VM group, 46 (mean age: 65.0±9.2 years) were treated using LigaSure (VML group), and 93 (mean age: 64.6±9.7 years) were not treated with LigaSure (IVM group). The patients were followed up for three months for the development of ecchymosis, hematoma, and superficial and deep tissue infections. Results: There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of sex (p=0.953). There was no statistical difference between the four groups in terms of risk factors for infection determined in the literature. Incision line complications developed in 42 (38.53%) patients in the CM group, 30 (22.05%) in the VM group, 22 (23.65%) in the IVM group, and eight (18.6%) patients in the VML group. While all groups were statistically superior to the CM group in terms of complications, no significant difference was found between the IVM and VML groups in terms of these complications. Conclusion: Vein mapping technique performed with Doppler ultrasonography in the operating room is a fast, reliable, easily accessible, and low-cost procedure, allowing a significant reduction in the complication rates associated with the saphenous vein incision line. Therefore, we think that the vein mapping method should be used routinely, particularly in the group of patients who have risk factors for incision line complications.