Cadmium level in the human saphenous vein used in coronary artery bypass grafting

: The human saphenous vein is the main superficial vein of the lower limb. It begins on the foot, runs across among medial surface of shin and knee and frontal-medial surface of thigh. Saphenous vein remains the most widely used bypass conduit for the treatment of occlusive coronary and peripheral vascular disease. In vivo it exhibits rhythmic contractile activity. The cellular mechanisms controlling saphenous vein activity are poorly understood. It is likely that saphenous vein contraction is preceded by electrical activity followed by an increase in intracellular calcium. The conducted research has shown that environmental exposure to cadmium leads to an accumulation of these metals in the organism and the disturbance in the metabolism of such important elements as calcium. The objective of the present research was to describe the concentration of cadmium in human saphenous vein in vitro by atomic absorption spectrometry. An association between cigarette smoking and concentration of cadmium is reviewed.