ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06496321TNTUpdated Jul 11, 2024

Morbidity of Conventional and No-touch Saphenectomy in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

An interventional study of Conventional Saphenous vein harvest and No touch Saphenous vein harvest in Saphenectomy, No Touch and Coronary Artery Disease, sponsored by Instituto Nacional de Cirugia Cardiaca, Uruguay. Recruiting at 1 site in Uruguay. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-07-11.

Sponsored by Instituto Nacional de Cirugia Cardiaca, Uruguay · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Sep 2025, 1 year 1 month ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Mar 2024, registered Jun 2024).
  • Started Mar 2024; still recruiting 2 years 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
52
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

A clinical research project will be carried out that will consist of a non-inferiority study. The objective is to compare the morbidity of two different surgical techniques for the extraction of the internal saphenous vein, intended to be used as a conduit in coronary bypass.

Read the detailed description

Current clinical trials have shown that the no-touch saphenectomy technique has had a positive impact on the short- and long-term patency of coronary bypass, compared to the conventional extraction technique. It is important to highlight that the conventional technique is the most used in our country (Uruguay, South America), while the "no touch" has fallen into disuse.

Given this disparity in the application of the techniques, it is considered essential to compare both methods in terms of morbidity. For this purpose, a prospective randomized clinical trial will be carried out.

The primary objective is to demonstrate the non-inferiority of the "no touch" technique over the conventional technique in terms of wound morbidity in patients undergoing coronary revascularization, within a non-inferiority margin. Defining morbidity as the combined result of local infection, hematoma, blisters, secretions, necrosis, wound dehiscence, paresthesias, pain and functional impotence.

The investigators will seek to achieve as a specific objective the incidence of each of the study factors: local infection, hematoma, blisters, secretions, necrosis, wound dehiscence, paresthesias, pain, functional impotence and then compare them between both groups at different times.

The anatomopathological study of some of the saphenous vein preparations, one "no touch" and the other conventional, will also be carried out using optical microscopy and ultrastructural comparisons using transmission electron microscopy.

Additionally, patients will be offered computed tomography angiography every year to evaluate graft patency.

There are not many relevant randomized clinical trials that compare the morbidity of this technique with the conventional one. In this context, we consider it crucial to evaluate whether there are significant differences in terms of wound morbidity in the mid-postoperative period (1 week), late (1 month) and long-term postoperative period (6 months).

We will define each variable previously: it will be considered to have a local infection when the wound shows signs of flow and it has been necessary to start antibiotic treatment, hematoma when there is a tumor or abnormal hardening caused by the accumulation of blood, flictenes when a skin blister appears on the wound that contains watery substances and not pus, secretions when the wound secretes a liquid (serous, bloody, purulent), necrosis when there is a necrotic plaque in the wound larger than 10 x 10 mm, dehiscence of the wound when the suture loses continuity, paresthesia when there is a tingling sensation due to an irritative sensitivity disorder, pain when it is located at the level of the wound and functional impotence when it prevents or limits ambulation.

Through multivariate analysis, the relationship with independent factors will be analyzed.

Null hypothesis: "no touch" saphenectomy is inferior to the conventional technique.

Alternative hypothesis: "no touch" saphenectomy is not inferior to the conventional technique.

Existing studies have focused their attention on evaluating the patency of the ducts; however, there is a lack of solid information on the morbidity associated with this technique in the lower limb of patients. Currently, the most widely used technique remains the conventional one, which involves a continuous incision in the skin of the leg or thigh. In this technique, a dissection of the subcutaneous tissue surrounding the vein is performed, the collaterals are ligated, and the free venous duct is sectioned. The length of the conduit varies depending on the amount of bypass to be performed. During the extraction of the saphenous vein using the "no touch" technique, it is sectioned with the perivascular adipose tissue and the saphenous nerve of the leg, therefore, it is of great interest for us to evaluate the incidence of the postoperative complications, previously mentioned, and compare these results with those obtained through the conventional technique.

02

Conditions studied

  • Saphenectomy
  • No Touch
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Wound Complication

Keywords

  • Saphenectomy
  • No Touch
  • Coronary Artery Disease
03

In context

Coronary Artery Disease

4,857 studies on the registry are indexed under Coronary Artery Disease; 890 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 52 is below the median of 124 across 3,006 interventional studies indexed under Coronary Artery Disease.

Browse Coronary Artery Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

Instituto Nacional de Cirugia Cardiaca, Uruguay is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients undergoing coordination coronary revascularization surgery, in which it is necessary to use the internal saphenous vein as a conduit.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency surgeries.
  • Poor metabolic control ( > 6.5%).
  • Chronic venous insufficiency or chronic obstructive arteriopathy of the lower limbs.
  • Type II obesity (>35).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

HbA1c

A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
52 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Conventional

    26 patients will be randomized to this group. The vein harvest technique will be the conventional one.

    Procedure: Conventional Saphenous vein harvest

  • Experimental
    No Touch

    26 patients will be randomized to this group. The vein harvest technique will be the "no touch".

    Procedure: No touch Saphenous vein harvest

Interventions

  • ProcedureConventional Saphenous vein harvest

    The conventional one involves harvesting only the vein, without perivascular tissue or the nerve.

    Also known as: Conventional Saphenectomy

  • ProcedureNo touch Saphenous vein harvest

    During the extraction of the saphenous vein using the "no touch" technique, it is sectioned with the perivascular adipose tissue and the saphenous nerve of the leg.

    Also known as: No touch Saphenectomy

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Demonstrate the non-inferiority of the "no touch" technique over the conventional technique in terms of wound morbidity.

    Our primary objective will be to demonstrate the non-inferiority of the "no touch" technique over the conventional technique in terms of wound morbidity in patients undergoing coronary revascularization, within a non-inferiority margin. Defining morbidity as the combined result of local infection, hematoma, blisters, secretions, necrosis, wound dehiscence, paresthesias, pain and functional impotence.

    Time frame: 1 week, 1 month, 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidence of local infection, hematoma, flictena, secretions, necrosis, wound dehiscence, paresthesia, pain, functional impotence and then compare them between both groups at different times.

    Find the incidence of each of the study factors: local infection, hematoma, flictena, secretions, necrosis, wound dehiscence, paresthesia, pain, functional impotence and then compare them between both groups at different times.

    Time frame: 1 week, 1 month, 6 months

Other outcomes

  1. Saphenous vein bypass patency

    Patients will be offered computed tomography angiography one year after surgery to evaluate graft patency.

    Time frame: 1 year

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Instituto Nacional de Cirugia Cardiaca
    Montevideo, 11600, Uruguay
    Recruiting
    • Juan A Montero, MD · Contactjuani.montero94@gmail.com · +59824810209
    • Victor Dayan, MD, PhD · Sub investigator
    • Juan A Montero, MD · Principal investigator
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Dashwood MR, Pinheiro BB, Souza DSR. Impact of saphenous vein harvesting on graft diameter: Supporting the no-touch technique. JTCVS Tech. 2022 Aug 18;16:105-106. doi: 10.1016/j.xjtc.2022.08.011. eCollection 2022 Dec. No abstract available. PubMed 36510541 ↗
  • Deb S, Singh SK, de Souza D, Chu MWA, Whitlock R, Meyer SR, Verma S, Jeppsson A, Al-Saleh A, Brady K, Rao-Melacini P, Belley-Cote EP, Tam DY, Devereaux PJ, Novick RJ, Fremes SE; SUPERIOR SVG Study Investigators. SUPERIOR SVG: no touch saphenous harvesting to improve patency following coronary bypass grafting (a multi-Centre randomized control trial, NCT01047449). J Cardiothorac Surg. 2019 May 2;14(1):85. doi: 10.1186/s13019-019-0887-x. PubMed 31046806 ↗
  • Gaudino M, Antoniades C, Benedetto U, Deb S, Di Franco A, Di Giammarco G, Fremes S, Glineur D, Grau J, He GW, Marinelli D, Ohmes LB, Patrono C, Puskas J, Tranbaugh R, Girardi LN, Taggart DP; ATLANTIC (Arterial Grafting International Consortium) Alliance. Mechanisms, Consequences, and Prevention of Coronary Graft Failure. Circulation. 2017 Oct 31;136(18):1749-1764. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.027597. PubMed 29084780 ↗
  • Inaba Y, Yamazaki M, Ohono M, Yamashita K, Izumida H, Hayashi K, Takahashi T, Kimura N, Ito T, Shimizu H. No-touch saphenous vein graft harvesting technique for coronary artery bypass grafting. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Mar;68(3):248-253. doi: 10.1007/s11748-019-01186-4. Epub 2019 Aug 2. PubMed 31376117 ↗
  • Kopjar T, Dashwood MR. Endoscopic Versus "No-Touch" Saphenous Vein Harvesting for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Trade-Off Between Wound Healing and Graft Patency. Angiology. 2016 Feb;67(2):121-32. doi: 10.1177/0003319715584126. Epub 2015 May 13. PubMed 25972395 ↗
  • Pettersen O, Haram PM, Winnerkvist A, Karevold A, Wahba A, Stenvik M, Wiseth R, Hegbom K, Nordhaug DO. Pedicled Vein Grafts in Coronary Surgery: Perioperative Data From a Randomized Trial. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Oct;104(4):1313-1317. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2017.03.076. Epub 2017 Jun 23. PubMed 28648540 ↗
  • Ragnarsson S, Janiec M, Modrau IS, Dreifaldt M, Ericsson A, Holmgren A, Hultkvist H, Jeppsson A, Sartipy U, Ternstrom L, Per Vikholm MD, de Souza D, James S, Thelin S. No-touch saphenous vein grafts in coronary artery surgery (SWEDEGRAFT): Rationale and design of a multicenter, prospective, registry-based randomized clinical trial. Am Heart J. 2020 Jun;224:17-24. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2020.03.009. Epub 2020 Mar 13. PubMed 32272256 ↗
  • Souza DS, Christofferson RH, Bomfim V, Filbey D. "No-touch" technique using saphenous vein harvested with its surrounding tissue for coronary artery bypass grafting maintains an intact endothelium. Scand Cardiovasc J. 1999;33(6):323-9. doi: 10.1080/14017439950141362. PubMed 10622542 ↗
  • Samano N, Geijer H, Liden M, Fremes S, Bodin L, Souza D. The no-touch saphenous vein for coronary artery bypass grafting maintains a patency, after 16 years, comparable to the left internal thoracic artery: A randomized trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 Oct;150(4):880-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.07.027. Epub 2015 Jul 15. PubMed 26282605 ↗
  • Souza DS, Dashwood MR, Tsui JC, Filbey D, Bodin L, Johansson B, Borowiec J. Improved patency in vein grafts harvested with surrounding tissue: results of a randomized study using three harvesting techniques. Ann Thorac Surg. 2002 Apr;73(4):1189-95. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(02)03425-2. PubMed 11996262 ↗
  • Souza DS, Arbeus M, Botelho Pinheiro B, Filbey D. The no-touch technique of harvesting the saphenous vein for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Multimed Man Cardiothorac Surg. 2009 Jan 1;2009(731):mmcts.2008.003624. doi: 10.1510/mmcts.2008.003624. PubMed 24413611 ↗
  • Tian M, Wang X, Sun H, Feng W, Song Y, Lu F, Wang L, Wang Y, Xu B, Wang H, Liu S, Liu Z, Chen Y, Miao Q, Su P, Yang Y, Guo S, Lu B, Sun Z, Liu K, Zhang C, Wu Y, Xu H, Zhao W, Han C, Zhou X, Wang E, Huo X, Hu S. No-Touch Versus Conventional Vein Harvesting Techniques at 12 Months After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery: Multicenter Randomized, Controlled Trial. Circulation. 2021 Oct 5;144(14):1120-1129. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055525. Epub 2021 Sep 13. PubMed 34510911 ↗
  • Tsuneyoshi H, Setozaki S, Katayama H, Wada T, Shimomura S, Takeuchi A, Sugaya A, Komiya T. Early and Midterm Outcomes of "No-Touch" Saphenous Vein Grafts in Japanese Institutions. Braz J Cardiovasc Surg. 2022 Sep 2;37(Spec 1):42-48. doi: 10.21470/1678-9741-2022-0121. PubMed 36054001 ↗
  • Verma S, Lovren F, Pan Y, Yanagawa B, Deb S, Karkhanis R, Quan A, Teoh H, Feder-Elituv R, Moussa F, Souza DS, Fremes SE. Pedicled no-touch saphenous vein graft harvest limits vascular smooth muscle cell activation: the PATENT saphenous vein graft study. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2014 Apr;45(4):717-25. doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezt560. Epub 2013 Dec 9. PubMed 24327455 ↗
  • Weiss MG, Nielsen PH, James S, Thelin S, Modrau IS. Clinical Outcomes After Surgical Revascularization Using No-Touch Versus Conventional Saphenous Vein Grafts: Mid-Term Follow-Up of Propensity Score Matched Cohorts. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 Summer;35(2):228-236. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2021.12.002. Epub 2021 Dec 5. PubMed 34879223 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 11, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06496321
Lead sponsor
Instituto Nacional de Cirugia Cardiaca, Uruguay
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jul 11, 2024
Start date
Mar 15, 2024
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 11, 2024

Study contacts

Juan A Montero, MD
Contact
juani.montero94@gmail.com
+59899428604
Juan A Montero, MD
principal investigator · Instituto Nacional de Cirugía Cardíaca

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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