Innominate artery-coronary artery bypass graft in a patient with calcific aortitis.

Calcification of the ascending thoracic aorta may make aortic cross-clamping dangerous and aorta-coronary artery bypass grafting impossible. A patient with a severely calcified ascending aorta owing to syphilitic aortitis presented such a problem. Sequential saphenous vein grafting was done to three coronary arteries, the proximal anastomosis being made to the noncalcified innominate artery. This technique may offer a practical solution to this problem.