New clinical practice guidelines recommend use of arteries rather than veins in heart bypass surgery

(Elsevier Health Sciences) The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has released new clinical practice guidelines that recommend expanding the use of arteries from the chest and forearm rather than using veins from the leg when performing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in certain patients. The guidelines, posted online today, will appear in the February 2016 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.