ANNALS OF THORACIC SURGERY, vol.86, no.1, pp.317-319, 2008 (SCI-Expanded)
An innovative arterial and venous graft holder has been developed for use during proximal and distal anastomosis in coronary artery bypass grafting. The device consists of a flexible arm and a handle. The handle in turn is composed of three parts: (1) a T-shaped body, (2) an atraumatic clip for holding the graft, and (3) a coronary probe attached by an adjustable fixation screw to the body. The handle can be used to easily hold the graft either by an assistant or attached to a flexible arm. The flexible arm can be used while attached to a standard sternal retractor or a railway sternal retractor. It facilitates opening the heel of the graft and stitching the most difficult angle of the anastomosis. This new instrument provides excellent exposure and a more comfortable anastomosis.