AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2002 Third Quarter

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Using the Radial Artery as a Conduit

The traditional standard for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) conduits has been the internal mammary artery (IMA) and the greater saphenous vein. The use of the saphenous vein for CABG is referred to as a free graft. The CABG procedure usually involves the harvesting of a vein (i.e., saphenous vein) and reconnecting both ends as a detour around the coronary artery blockage. However, the saphenous vein graft (SVG) has demonstrated an inclination toward the development of progressive fibrointimal proliferation (hyperplasia) and atherosclerotic changes. Harvesting of an artery (i.e., internal mammary artery) is accomplished by severing it at...

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