Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42481949›Full record

SynthesisBMC cardiovascular disorders2026

Endoscopic versus open radial artery harvesting for coronary artery bypass grafting: an updated systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment.

Tayyaba Ikram Qazi, Aleena Amir Malik, Mariya Khan, Muhammad Yahya, Yashfa Asad, Sarah Idrees, Muhammad Uzair Gull, Abbas Khan, Faiza Munir, Abdul Saboor Khan and 11 more

Abstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Tayyaba Ikram QaziDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Aleena Amir MalikDepartment of Medicine, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Mariya KhanDepartment of Medicine, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Muhammad YahyaDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Yashfa AsadDepartment of Medicine, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Sarah IdreesDepartment of Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad Uzair GullDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Abbas KhanDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Faiza MunirDepartment of Medicine, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Lyari, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Abdul Saboor KhanDepartment of Medicine, Plovdiv Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Atiqullah SadaqatDepartment of Curative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kateb University, Kabul, Afghanistan. atiqullahsadaqat61@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-1290-4392
Muhammad Maaz AmjadDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Pari KotakDepartment of Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan.
Muhammad Ahmad Akif RaufDepartment of Medicine, Abbottabad International Medical College, Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan.
Sajid RehmanDepartment of Medicine, Government General Hospital Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad YasirDepartment of Medicine, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan.
Muhammad Huzaifa KhattakDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.
Hamza Wazir KhanDepartment of Surgery, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Asia BatoolDepartment of Medicine, Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Haris Wazir KhanDepartment of Surgery, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan.
Bilal Wazir KhanDepartment of Medicine, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEndoscopic radial artery harvesting (ERAH) is a minimally invasive alternative to open radial artery harvesting (ORAH) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), though concerns persist regarding graft patency and neurological outcomes.

methodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through February 21, 2026. Randomized controlled trials and propensity-matched observational studies were included. Risk of bias was assessed using ROB 2 and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale; certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Pooled risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model.

resultsERAH significantly reduced wound complications (RR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.96) and wound infections (RR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.35-0.93), though this benefit did not persist in RCT-only analysis. Neurological complications were reduced after sensitivity analysis (RR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.34-0.57). Graft patency was comparable (RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.90-1.14), with no significant differences in mortality, MACCE, or myocardial infarction. Observational data showed modest reductions in cardiopulmonary bypass time and hospital stay.

conclusionsERAH demonstrates comparable graft patency and major clinical outcomes to ORAH. Donor-site benefits suggested by observational studies are not consistently supported by randomized evidence. Large trials with standardized outcomes and long-term follow-up are needed.

trial registrationPROSPERO, CRD420261334767.

Indexed as

Coronary Artery BypassCoronary Artery DiseaseEndoscopyRadial ArteryTissue and Organ HarvestingHumansRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeVascular PatencyCABGDonor-site morbidityEndoscopic radial artery harvestingMeta-analysisOpen radial artery harvesting

Identifiers

PMID42481949
PMCPMC13670536

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.