Introduction:
In modern cardiac surgery there are increasingly more minimally invasive techniques. One of them is the endoscopic harvesting of the SV during coronary operations.

AIM:
The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of endoscopic GSV harvesting, and the impact of this method on the quality of the harvested vessel.

Material and Methods:
In July 2016, in the Silesian Centre for Heart Disease, 136 patients underwent cardiac surgery. In 66 patients a coronary procedure was performed using the saphenous vein. Patients in the medium or high risk group of post-operative infection according to the BHIS scale were divided into two groups, 10 patients each. In one group, the great saphenous vein was harvested using the endoscopic method, in the other the classical method. Intraoperatively, the quality of the vessel and flow in the bypasses were evaluated. The local area of wound healing of the lower limb wound was also evaluated and compared, which was then compared between the groups.

Results:
The procedures, all the harvested vessels were used for coronary artery bypass grafting. In the intraoperative assessment, no microscopic vascular damage was detected. Doppler examination of the endoscopic vessel flow showed patency of the graft with good blood flow and a low pulsation index. In the postoperative observation, no complications related to wound healing were found.

Conclusions:
The endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting technique is a method as safe as classical methods, but it provides a better wound healing effect and significantly improves the cosmetic effect of the operated limb.