Off-pump coronary artery surgery with the use of anastomotic devices: an additional tool for the challenging patient.
BACKGROUND
Avoidance of aortic side-clamping may decrease the risk of embolization to the brain and other organs during coronary revascularization. Herein we describe our preliminary experience with an anastomotic device for proximal anastomosis construction.


METHODS
From October 2000 to June 2001, 18 selected patients undergoing beating heart surgery had an aorta-to-saphenous vein graft anastomosis performed with the St. Jude Medical Aortic connector.


RESULTS
All anastomoses were successfully deployed. In two patients there was a minor anastomotic bleeding and in other two cases a kinking occurred due to a too short and a too long graft respectively. One patient, with graft occlusion on the fourteenth postoperative day, underwent successful percutaneous revascularization.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary results indicate that the aortic anastomotic device is safe and effective and its use could be widened once long-term results are available.
Maisano
Francesco
F
Cardiac Surgery Division, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy. francesco.maisano@hsr.it
Franzè
Vincenzo
V
De Bonis
Michele
M
Alfieri
Ottavio
O
D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000601:surgery*