RT Book, Section A1 Lytle, Bruce W. A1 Tolis, Jr., George A2 Cohn, Lawrence H. A2 Adams, David H. SR Print(0) ID 1144152574 T1 Coronary Artery Reoperations T2 Cardiac Surgery in the Adult, 5e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071844871 LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1144152574 RD 2024/04/19 AB Coronary artery reoperations are more complicated than primary operations. Patients undergoing reoperations have distinct, more dangerous pathologies; reoperations are technically more difficult to perform; and the risks are greater.1-12 Vein graft atherosclerosis, present in most reoperative candidates, is a unique and dangerous lesion. Reoperative candidates commonly have severe and diffuse native-vessel distal coronary artery disease (CAD), a problem that has had the time to develop only because these patients did not die from their original proximal coronary artery lesions. Aortic and noncardiac atherosclerosis are also often far advanced in many reoperative candidates. Some technical hazards, including the presence of patent arterial grafts and sternal reentry, are unique to reoperations, and others, such as lack of bypass conduits and difficult coronary artery exposure, are common.