Perioperative diagnosis of subclavian artery stenosis: a contraindication for internal mammary artery-coronary artery bypass graft.

The internal mammary artery (IMA) has emerged as the coronary bypass graft of choice 1,2 . Undiagnosed subclavian artery stenosis proximal to the origin of the IMA may lead to coronary steal with symptomatic myocardial ischemia 3-5 and death 6 . This report describes a case having a perioperative diagnostic of subclavian artery stenosis. Our purpose in presenting this case is to alert anesthesiologists to this rare but preventable complication