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Acute transection of the left internal mammary artery remote from the anastomosis following coronary artery bypass surgery

The Yorkshire Heart Centre, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK

^* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44-113-392-5568; fax: +44-113-392-5899. (E-mail: pankajkaul{at}supanet.com).

We report a case of spontaneous transection of the left internal mammary artery 4h after a patient underwent coronary artery bypass surgery. This complication has been reported in two patients following minimal access coronary artery bypass grafting, but to our knowledge, this is the first case of transection of the left internal mammary artery, following conventional myocardial revascularization via median sternotomy. Possible mechanisms leading to this rare, but potentially life-threatening complication are also discussed.