title: Beating heart surgery using the Octopus tissue stabilizers: initial experience including triple vessel disease and high-risk patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate initial results in beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting performed on patients with multivessel disease, using suction-based tissue stabilizers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients (mean age 65.5 years, range 39-83) underwent beating heart coronary bypass by median sternotomy, with the use of the Octopus 1 (n = 27) and Octopus 2 (n = 13) devices. Twenty patients had unstable angina, four had pulmonary oedema, and four required preoperative intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation. Five interventions were repeat procedures. Mean ejection fraction was 54.4%(range 20-82%). Eighteen patients had triple-vessel disease, 18 patients had double-vessel disease and > 50% left main stem stenosis was present in six patients (isolated or in association). The average number of distal anastomoses was 2.5 (range 1-5, total 101). A mean of 1.5 (range 1-3) anastomoses was achieved with arterial grafts (45 mammary and 12 gastroepiploic arteries).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immediate graft patency was evaluated by Doppler flowmeter and five anastomoses were successfully corrected, based on an occlusion pattern. The perioperative myocardial infarction rate was zero. Transient episodes of supraventricular arrhythmias were detected in 19 patients. The administration of dobutamine at an inotropic concentration > 5 gamma-1 kg-1 min-1 was required in one patient. There were two in-hospital deaths (one non-cardiac-related). Overall survival and cardiac event-free rate at 20 months were 92.4% +/- 4.2% and 81.8% +/- 11.6%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Satisfactory results can be achieved in multivessel disease high-risk patients with beating heart coronary bypass surgery.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Anesthesiology, Mont-Godinne University Hospital, Université Catholique de Louvain (U.C.L.)-Medical School. louagie@chir.ucl.ac.be
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Louagie
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eucher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buche
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scavée
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Broka
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Schoevaerdts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D014654:Vascular Patency