Table 1.

Randomized controlled trials evaluating select saphenous vein graft harvesting techniques to improve graft patency

Study	Year of primary trial completion	Sample size	Follow-up	Intervention(s)	Primary outcomes	Secondary outcomes
No-touch SVG
Dreifaldt et al¹⁴ Dreifaldt et al¹²	2014	108	36 mo (mean) 97 mo (mean)	No-touch SVG vs radial artery graft	SVG patency by angiography at follow-up	Incidence of perioperative and postoperative myocardial infarction, death, or need for revascularization
Souza et al¹⁵ Souza et al¹⁶ Samano et al¹¹	2011	156	18 mo (mean) 8.5 y (mean) 16 y (mean)	No-touch SVG vs standard open vs intermediate technique	SVG patency by angiography at follow-up	Stenosis in grafts at follow-up
PATENT-SVG¹⁷	2012	17	12 mo	No-touch SVG vs standard open harvesting	SVG morphometry and early markers of vascular smooth muscle cell activation	Leg wound healing and functional recovery at 3 and 12 mo
SUPERIOR-SVG¹⁸	2015	250	12 mo	No-touch SVG vs standard open harvesting	Incidence of complete SVG occlusion at 1 y or death due to cardiovascular or unknown causes	• Significant stenosis and MACCE at 1 y • Leg adverse events and leg quality of life at 1 y
IMPROVE-CABG¹⁹	2016	100	5 y	Pedical vs conventional SVG harvesting	SVG function by angiography at 6 mo and 5 y	• Morphological appearance of SVG at 6 mo and 5 y • Leg wound complications at 6 wk • Postoperative complications at discharge, 6 wk, 6 mo, and 5 y
SWEDEGRAFT²⁰	Ongoing	902	2 y	No-touch SVG vs standard open harvesting	• SVG occlusion or stenosis on CCTA at 2 y or earlier • Death within 2 y	• Wound healing in SVG sites at 2 y • Incidence of MACE at 2 y
Wang et al²¹	Ongoing	2655	12 mo	No-touch SVG vs standard open harvesting	SVG occlusion on CCTA at 3 mo	• MACCE at 3 and 12 mo • SVG occlusion at 1 y
ITA anastomosed SVG composite
SAVE-RITA²²	2012	224	5 y	SVG vs RITA as Y-composite graft	SVG or RITA patency by angiography at 1 y	• Overall survival at 1 and 4 y • Incidence of MACCE at 1 and 4 y
Externally supported SVGs (VEST)
VEST I²³	2013	30	12 mo	VEST-supported vein graft	• SVG intimal hyperplasia area by intravascular ultrasound at 1 y • Incidence of MACCE at 6 wk	SVG failure, ectasia, and Fitzgibbon classification at 1 y
VEST III²⁴	2019	184	2 y	VEST-supported vein graft	• Proportion of SVGs with perfect patency at 2 y	• Intimal hyperplasia area at 2 y • MACCE at 2 y • SVG failure at 2 y • Early SVG failure at 6 mo
VEST IV²⁵	2013	30	4.5 y (mean)	VEST-supported vein graft	• MACCE at follow-up • Intimal hyperplasia and thickness at follow-up • Graft occlusion and Fitzgibbon perfect patency rates at follow-up	Not specified
VEST Pivotal	Ongoing	224	5 y	VEST-supported vein graft	Intimal hyperplasia area and graft occlusion at 1 y	• Lumen diameter uniformity at 1 y • Vein graft failure (≥50% stenosis) by cardiac angiography at 1 y • Incidence of MACCE annually over 5 y
SVG storage solutions
Perrault et al²⁶	2016	125	12 mo	DuraGraft graft storage solution	• Change in wall thickness between 1 and 3 mo • Change in maximum narrowing between 1 and 12 mo	• MDCT angiography measurements for wall thickness, lumen diameter, maximum narrowing, and vessel diameter at 3 and 12 mo • Changes in MDCT angiography measurements between 1 and 3 mo and between 1 and 12 mo • Incidence of SVG thrombosis and occlusion, MACE, angina, arrhythmias, shortness of breath, significant stenosis

SVG, Saphenous vein graft; MACCE, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events; CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; CCTA, coronary computed tomography angiography; MACE, major adverse cardiovascular events; ITA, internal thoracic artery; RITA, right internal thoracic artery; VEST, externally supported saphenous vein graft; MDCT, multidetector computed tomography.