Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: not a flash in the pan.
During the past decade, technical improvements have made off-pump coronary artery bypass operations a routine procedure. During this time, off-pump coronary artery bypass has been audited against conventional techniques by many observational, case-matched, and prospective randomized studies. There is evidence in the literature suggesting that off-pump coronary artery bypass operations reduce postoperative morbidity, organ dysfunction, and costs, without compromising midterm outcome compared with conventional coronary operations. The available evidence also supports the view that high-risk patients might benefit the most from revascularization on the beating heart. High quality follow-up data are still needed to assess the impact of off-pump coronary artery bypass operations on long-term clinical outcome.
Ascione
Raimondo
R
Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Caputo
Massimo
M
Angelini
Gianni D
GD
D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans