How to do a distal bypass

• Step 2: Donor vessel exposure

The second step is to dissect the donor vessel. It is usually on the femoral region or in the popliteal area. The general rule is to use the lowest level pulsatile artery. When this is the femoral artery, you can use either the common femoral (CFA), the superficial femoral (SFA), or the profunda femoral artery (PFA). When the donor vessel lies in the popliteal territory, one can use either the P1 (supragenicular) or the P3 segment (infragenicular) of the popliteal artery.