Textpertise Mar 25, 2010:

@Writeaway Having admitted that I am not 100% certain that vena here means vena cava, I agree that you would be safest just to translate vena as vein unless you have further context or a diagram to indicate what is going on in this surgery. However, the source cited by Writeaway is totally irrelevant to the matter in question. As regards never questioning a doctor, I would not subscribe to this dictum.

Textpertise Mar 25, 2010:

What does the passage say? The veneuze jumpgraft is a saphenous vein graft. I interpreted the term vena as referring to the vena cava and indicating its general direction relative to the graft (i.e. diametrically opposite) because that is the vein involved with the heart and vena in heart surgery usually refers to the vena cava. However, it is entirely possible that it is the saphenous vein graft that is being referred to. Without a picture or more context it would be difficult to know for certain. In other words, I do not read the passage as saying that the vena cava is involved in the bypass, just as giving its relative direction to the site of the surgery. Is I read it, there was a previous venous bypass which became blocked. The current surgery is a revision to the previous surgery, with the graft being placed to jump over a section of the previous graft and overlying that previous bypass graft.

SJLD Mar 25, 2010:

thank you Barend IMO it is important in medical translation to correct errors, even if the error is not directly related to the term in question.

Barend van Zadelhoff Mar 25, 2010:

vena I know it's not your question, Maria, but I want to say something about "vena". We are dealing with a Dutch text. What is called a "vein" in English is called a "vena, vene, ader of bloedvat" in Dutch, including medical jargon: "vena, vene".
So there is a "vena cava", but also a "vena renalis" and a "vena saphena" and hundreds of other "vena's".
Using the vena cava as a bypass would be technically impossible and anatomically absurd: just think of its diameter!

Because we are dealing with a veinous graft here, this graft will have been taken from the leg, more specifically from the saphenous vein.

So this "vena" from your text was part of the saphenous vein and should be translated as "vein"

This venous graft is attached to the anterior/ frontal side of the aorta and "gaat af om 06:00"
This "afgaat" means that this graft originates from the aorta at this point or leaves the aorta at this point

It leaves the aorta at 06:00 u
As I understand it, it means that it leaves the aorta right in the middle of its anterior side, but I would need more context to say anything definite about this

Maria Danielson (asker) Mar 24, 2010:

my real question is about the term 06:00 u, not about the vein versus vena cava. Textpertise's link provided me with the info I needed. No need to argue the vein/vena cava issue. Thank you both!

SJLD Mar 24, 2010:

Venous bypass grafts traditionally use veins from the leg. Using the vena cava (superior or inferior) is a most novel idea.

Barend van Zadelhoff Mar 24, 2010:

position I would say, it cannot but refer to position
it says "de vena afgaat", the vein leaves the aorta
but I am not familiar with this usage

it could mean that the old bypass is exactly on the opposite (posterior) side of the aorta, so that the new one is in line with (06:00 u) the old one