https://doi.org/10.4081/vl.2026.14613
Preserving the conduit: a case of CHIVA1 saphenous vein sparing and its later use for aorto-coronary bypass
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Published: 16 March 2026
This case report discusses a 68-year-old male patient who underwent in 1997 a saphenous vein sparing CHIVA procedure as a treatment for chronic venous insufficiency and later required a Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). During the CABG procedure in 2015, the patient’s spared saphenous vein was harvested and used as an autologous graft. At ten years follow-up the CAGB was demonstrated to be patent. Therefore, the decision to preserve the Great Saphenous Vein (GSV) during the initial surgery, despite the common belief that this kind of treatment is not a useful approach to chronic venous insufficiency, allowed for its later use in a life-saving procedure. This case highlights the importance of sparing one's venous reserves and it demonstrates the value of preserving the saphenous vein's integrity as key for its potential use in surgical procedures, especially in patients who have a moderate to high cardiovascular risk.
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