Coronary artery bypass grafts to chronic occluded right coronary arteries

Patients with chronically occluded RCAs undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were divided in 2 groups depending on whether the myocardium of the occluded RCA received surgical revascularization or not. A total of 587 patients were included, of whom 487 patients received a CABG to the RCA or its branches, whereas 100 patients with an occluded RCA did not receive surgical revascularization. No statistical difference between both groups was detectable in myocardial infarction–free survival (P = .57), stroke-free survival (P = .05), or PCI-free survival (P = .17). However, survival analysis, as displayed in the Kaplan–Meier curve, revealed a better survival in patients with revascularization of the occluded RCA as compared with patients without revascularization (P = .001), suggesting that surgical revascularization of an occluded RCA is recommended.