Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Vein Harvesting

The surgeon at Cardiothoracic Surgery of Savannah routinely perform endoscopic vein harvesting on almost all coronary artery bypass patients. With conventional vein removal, a long incision is made in the selected leg from the ankle to the mid-thigh. These incisions can cause post-operative problems such as swelling, drainage, infection, and pain in the leg. With endoscopic vein removal, a small incision (one inch or less) is made just above the knee and another (one inch or less) at the groin. The vein is then removed using a surgical telescope. This results in two "Band-Aid" size incisions and has almost eliminated leg problems following coronary artery bypass surgery. This results in less pain and a quicker recovery.

If your physician recommends coronary artery bypass, be sure to ask about less invasive endoscopic vein removal.