Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Abstract

Minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass has been introduced recently as a treatment for single or double coronary artery disease. Ten patients were operated on at this institute between September 1996 and January 1997. There was no operative mortality or perioperative myocardial infarction. The median hospital stay was 4 days (range 2 to 7 days). There was no reexploration for bleeding. The first 5 patients underwent postoperative coronary angiography prior to discharge. One showed a 70% stricture proximal to the anastomosis. Another patient had an occluded graft due to kinking and underwent reoperation. All patients were free of angina postoperatively. The minimally invasive technique facilitated early extubation, mobilization, and discharge from hospital. Long-term graft patency requires further evaluation by a randomized prospective trial.