Coronary bypass surgery using the internal thoracic artery after reconstruction of occluded subclavian artery

We present two cases with an occluded left subclavian artery requiring coronary artery bypass grafting. A preoperative angiogram confirmed that the subclavian artery, including the internal thoracic artery distal from the occlusion, was thoroughly intact, in both cases. Immediately after reconstructing the subclavian artery using an aortoaxillary bypass with an 8 mm ring-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene graft, each patient underwent double coronary artery bypass grafting using the affected left internal thoracic artery with either the right internal thoracic artery or a saphenous vein in the same anesthetic setting. Symptomatic relief was excellent. In both cases, a postoperative angiographic study showed good function of the left internal thoracic artery graft supplying blood to the coronary artery through the aortoaxillary bypass graft.