OBJECTIVE To determine the cost-effective operative strategy for coronary artery bypass surgery in patients above 70 years. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial of 900 patients above 70 years of age subjected to coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients were randomized to either on-pump or off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Data on direct and indirect costs were prospectively collected. P...

OBJECTIVE It is important for coronary active perfusion systems to avoid myocardial ischemia during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. We have developed a new concept for a perfusion system to pump blood based on changes in helium gas volume. This system uses a conventional intra-aortic balloon pump to activate the perfusion pump. Our study used basic and animal experiments to investigat...

A 52-year old man presented with exertional angina and shortness of breath and was diagnosed with double-vessel coronary artery disease with a large coronary artery fistula between the left circumflex artery and superior vena cava. He was managed with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting with closure of the fistula.

Emergency conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting is recognized to increase operative mortality and morbidity. We conducted a retrospective review of 616 consecutive patients who were planned for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting from April 2001 to July 2004. Fourteen patients (2.3%) required emergency conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass. Operati...

BACKGROUND Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery is considered to be less invasive compared with a conventional coronary artery bypass surgery, while objective assessment of its invasiveness has not been well established. The grade of invasiveness of off-pump CABG was evaluated by biochemical markers released from the myocardium. METHODS Perioperative serial changes of myocardial enzyme lea...

BACKGROUND Off-pump coronary bypass surgery has become a widely used technique during recent years. However, limited data are available with regard to 1-year patency of bypass grafts implanted on the beating heart in unselected consecutive bypass surgery candidates. The aim of this study was to compare 1-year angiographic patency of bypass grafts done on the beating heart (off pump) with those ...

Surgical revascularization of the heart (CABG - coronary artery bypass grafting) is one way of treating coronary heart disease. Bleeding is one of the serious and frequent complications of heart surgery and can result in increased mortality and morbidity. Hemostasis disorder may be secondary consequences of surgical bleeding, preoperative anticoagulant therapy, and the use of cardiopulmonary by...

BACKGROUND Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery in patients with left main stem (LMS) disease remains controversial. This meta-analysis compares early outcomes of OPCAB surgery with on-pump coronary artery bypass (ONCAB) surgery in patients with significant LMS disease, focusing on the outcomes stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS This is a meta-analysis of non-rando...