Harvesting

Traditional harvesting of the great saphenous vein and radial artery

In the past, removing the great saphenous vein meant that one long incision was made from the ankle to the groin depending on how many bypass grafts the surgeon needed to perform.
This procedure uses the standard surgical instrument. Often times the incision is the longest incision made in any surgical procedure – up to 50 cm in length.
Traditional harvesting remains the gold standard globally for vein harvesting. The equipment and surgical technique are familiar to surgeons. The risks of traditional harvest are similar to any surgical procedure and include infection, thermal injury, bleeding and laceration. In addition to the risks, incision pain is more significant when compare with a more minimally invasive approach.