Leg Wound Complications During Hospital Stay When Using Conventional Saphenous Vein Harvest Versus Endoscopic for Coronary Bypass Surgery

Background: Using the endoscope to harvest the saphenous vein as an alternative to conventional method helps in decreasing leg wound related complications. Objective: The aim of the current work was to detect the leg wound problems while using endoscopic vein harvesting versus conventional method during hospital stay. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients underwent coronary bypass surgery divided into two groups randomly, conventional, and endoscopic. Data of the patients were collected perioperatively. Patients were followed up during hospital stay which was 5-7 days in average regarding leg wound complications. Results: Leg wound pain in the postoperative period during hospital stay was significantly higher in the conventional group, leg swelling was lower in endoscopic group, occurrence of hematoma of the leg was higher in endoscopic group. Conclusion: It could be concluded that harvesting the saphenous vein endoscopically is superior to conventional method regarding leg wound complications in addition to its cosmetic advantage.