[Advantages of off-pump coronary bypass surgery in high-risk patients].
OBJECTIVE
Myocardial revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown to reduce operative morbi-mortality. We report our recent experience with this novel technique in order to evaluate its theoretical advantages in comparison with conventional surgery.


METHODS
This retrospective analysis included 547 consecutive patients undergoing isolated myocardial revascularization from December 1997 through November 2000. One hundred twenty-one off-pump patients were compared to 426 undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find predictors of mortality, transfusion, postoperative atrial fibrillation and length of hospital stay.


RESULTS
Off-pump patients were at greater risk: they were older, with a lower ejection fraction and a higher prevalence of unstable angina, heart failure and associated comorbidity. Off-pump surgery reduced transfusions (1 1 vs 1,9 2 blood units; p < 0.0001) and postoperative hospital stays (8.9 5 vs 11,3 7 days; p < 0.001). The off-pump group showed a trend toward reduced morbidity but the technique did not decrease hospital mortality. Cardiopulmonary bypass was an independent predictor of blood transfusion and longer hospital stay. Short-term follow-up revealed no significant differences in recurring angina or patency rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Off-pump coronary bypass surgery is a good option in high-risk patients because it reduces the incidence of perioperative transfusion and the length of hospitalization. Furthermore, it showed a trend toward reduced morbidity. Mortality was not significantly higher in spite of the higher risk of the patients. Long-term longitudinal follow-up is mandatory to assess the true effectiveness of this technique.
García Fuster
Rafael
R
Servicio de Cirugía Cardíaca, Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Spain. rgfuster@comv.es
Montero
José A
JA
Gil
Oscar
O
Hornero
Fernando
F
Cánovas
Sergio J
SJ
Dalmau
María J
MJ
Bueno
María
M
D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors