Saphenous vein graft to the left radial artery: An uncommon anastomosis during coronary artery bypass surgery

Injury to the ulnar artery is a rare and unreported complication of radial artery harvest. The authors present a case of acute limb ischemia due to ulnar artery injury following radial artery harvest for coronary artery bypass surgery. In this emergency situation, ulna artery repair and radial artery reconstruction using reversed saphenous vein interposition graft provided a quick safe option for limb salvage with no reported problems at 1 year follow up. We recommend avoiding incisions that extend close to the antecubitial fossa as this may increase the risk of neurovascular complications during radial artery harvest.