What are the advantages of using the Internal Mammary Artery (IMA) for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)?
The advantages of using the IMA for CABG include improved survival rate, reduced incidence of late myocardial infarction, reduced hospitalization for cardiac events, reduced need for reoperation, and reduced recurrence of angina. The IMA is also resistant to the development of atherosclerosis due to the continuous internal elastic lamina that prevents smooth muscle cell migration and the release of prostacyclin and nitric oxide by its endothelium. However, it should only be used if there are no contraindications such as emergency surgery, poor IMA blood flow, subclavian artery stenosis, radiation injury, or atherosclerosis. 