Open surgical harvesting of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) is believed to increase the risk of injury to the brachial plexus. We believe that this approach probably aggravated the neurological damage in our patient. Proper positioning, thoracoscopic harvesting of LIMA, and avoiding prolonged and excessive traction on the rib cage could have reduced the risk of this injury.
Keywords: brachial plexopathy; coronary artery bypass graft; small muscle wasting; sternotomy.